Revenge on a Shifter
by booksmusicfood
Summary: When your family is murdered, you become a hunter and harden your heart. Seven years later, you reconnect with the men who saved you, Sam and Dean Winchester. With their help and that of a certain angel, Castiel, you not only seek revenge, but also might just be able to open your heart once again.
1. The Event That Started it All

Author's Note: Sadly, I don't own Supernatural. All rights belong to Warner Brothers Studios.

Hope you enjoy, I'm open to any suggestions or advice in the comments!

 **XXXX**

The house was dark and quiet as you slipped out of your bed fully dressed. You pried your door open a crack, checking to make sure the coast was clear before you stepped out into the hallway. You slowly crept past your parents and brothers' rooms, barely breathing. The distant sound of your youngest brother's snoring could be heard as you flew down the steps. You jumped over the third last one to avoid its ominous creaking and raced out the back door.

Trevor Morris was hosting the annual end of school party tonight, but your mom used her iron fist to boycott it when she heard there would be drinking.

That didn't stop you though.

You stood on the back porch locking the door and pocketing the key when you heard rustling in the bush behind you. Turning quickly, a glint caught your eye. You paused and held your breath, but when you blinked the glint disappeared. _It's probably just a stray cat you nervous Nancy._

You steeled your resolve and took one last look at your parent's bedroom window before cutting across the neighbour's yard.

Little did you realize, an identical copy of you had slowly risen from the bush and watched you scurry away. Its eyes glinted in the darkness and an ominous smile slithered across its lips as it stared at your parent's bedroom window. Only a moment had passed before the clone picked the lock on the back door and entered your home.

 **XXXX**

You stumbled back through the neighbour's yard later that night. You giggled as you tripped on a rock and tried your best to stifle the sound. Trevor Morris' party had been a blast and sure, you'd had a couple drinks, but who hadn't? You also made out with Trevor Morris, but that was between the two of you. You made it to the back door and a distant alarm went off in your head as you realized it was unlocked. _That's strange; I could've sworn I had locked it._ Not trusting your tipsy brain, you figured it was a mistake, but entered the house cautiously.

Stepping over the threshold felt strange. Something was off. Erie quiet filled the house and you couldn't hear Jace's snoring anymore. Bracing yourself, you slowly climbed the stairs.

You made it to the top of the stairs and peeked your head around the corner. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and you let out a sigh of relief. Everything was normal apart from the eerie stillness which still suffocated the house. You laughed at yourself in your head and let out a deep breath before straightening and walking towards your room. As you passed your brothers' room, you noticed the door was slightly opened. Peeking inside, it looked as if they were sound asleep.

Isaiah's hand was hanging off the bed even. Your big sister instincts kicked into overdrive as you entered the room to tuck it back under the covers. Your hand was reaching for his when you saw something your brain didn't understand. There was a ribbon of blood running down the length of Isaiah's arm and gently dripping onto the floor. Major alarms went off in your head and your tipsy mind was suddenly sobered.

You stood up straight and placed your hands on Isaiah's chest, shaking him. "Isaiah!" There was no response. "No, no, no, no!" you cried as you shook him harder. His face was pale and lifeless and his skin had lost its warmth. You glanced at the other side of the room where Jace lay in the same state. _Not your baby brother._ Your heart broke when you realized their chests no longer rose and fell with steady breathing. You tore your gaze away from Jace and tears filled your eyes as you rushed into your parents' room. "Mom! Dad!" you cried.

As you reached the doorway, you stopped dead in your tracks. Your father's empty, unseeing eyes stared right through you from where his lifeless body lay prone on the floor. His blood pooled underneath him, staining the rug.

Your breath caught in your throat and you thought you were going to be sick. Looking up, you saw a blonde figure holding your mother against the wall. Frozen in place, you watched as the figure plunged a jagged knife into your mother's chest. Her eyes locked on yours over the figure's shoulder, and grew wide before the light within them began to dim. You screamed just as you heard the front door bang open downstairs.

 _Your family was gone._

Two sets of feet were pounding up the stairs and a voice called out, "There's no time Dean!"

You heard none of this as the figure turned around. Your heart skipped a beat and blood was pounding in your ears as you stared at the figure. The person in front of you looked identical to you. They even had the same small scar above their left eyebrow from a time when you hit your head on the corner of the dining room table.

That same voice cried, "Check on the kids! I'll look for the shapeshifter." Your clone advanced towards you, raising the knife. _What is going on?_ Your confused brain couldn't make sense of anything. The only thing you knew for sure was that your whole family was dead.

The knife glinted in the moonlight and your breath caught in your throat. You backed away slowly until your back hit the wall.

The clone kept advancing with an evil glint in its grey eyes and a sadistic smile across its lips. You weren't able to look away and watched as the predatory look quickly turned to shock as a tall, dark haired figure burst into the room.

Casting a glance between you and your clone, the figure raised a gun at the evil double. You could see the panic in its identical grey eyes before you heard the shot fired. Your double had ducked out of the way and the bullet only lodged itself in its shoulder. It flinched and grabbed its injured arm before climbing out the window and cutting across the neighbour's yard.

A suffocating silence filled the room and tears gathered in your eyes. You slid down the wall and sat on the floor as you stared at your parents' bodies and sobbed. This caught the attention of the man in the doorway, causing him to turn towards you. "No! No, please don't hurt me!" you cried, wrenching your gaze from your parents and scrambling across the floor.

Your hands became slicked with blood and you slipped as the man lowered his weapon, and slowly stepped towards you, saying, "No, no, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. You're alright now." He kept advancing into the room, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. The moonlight reflected off his features and you could see that he had shaggy brown hair and warm eyes that matched.

He crouched towards your huddled form and you tried to make yourself as small as possible. "You're safe now. I promise my brother and I won't let anything happen to you." He slowly reached a hand toward you, but you flinched away. Not being dismayed, he again tentatively reached a hand out and placed it on your arm. "My name is Sam, Sam Winchester. That's my brother Dean," he said, pointing towards the doorway where another tall figure stood, "What's your name?"

You brain was confused and your heart was broken. You focused on Sam's voice and slowly lifted your head from your arms, peeking at the brothers. The second one, Dean, had bright green eyes and short, dark blonde hair. Both wore jeans, flannel and heavy coats. When neither of them tried to grab you, you took a deep breath before quietly whispering your name. "Jayden," you said, "Jayden Montgomery."

Sam glanced at his brother before turning back to you and murmuring words of comfort. His hand moved from your arm to your back where he rubbed soothing circles. You stared at your bloody hands and were wracked with fresh sobs. You threw your arms around Sam's neck and cried into his shoulder. Sam stroked your hair and shared a glance with his brother.

After a while, Dean cleared his throat and spoke for the first time. His eyes were sad as he said, "Come on. Let's get you out of here." Your sobbing had subsided considerably and you nodded your head, pulling away from Sam. You pushed yourself off the floor and tried not to think about your sticky hands. Following the brothers, you glanced again at your father's unseeing eyes and shuddered.

 _What had just happened? What was that thing and why did it look like you? Why'd it kill your family? Your poor baby brother… Who were Sam and Dean? And how did they know to show up?_

So many questions swirled in your head as you followed the Winchesters down the stairs and into your living room. It seemed as if your body was on autopilot as you glanced around the room filled with photos and memories. Your eyes filled with tears once again. They trickled down your face as you looked at the photo of Jace's last birthday. He had just turned eight and was begging for the Star Wars movies. He had watched the first three and was waiting until the weekend to watch the last three. Your heart broke when you realized he'd never get to watch those last three movies. He'd never know what happened. His life was over, and he was only _eight._ He'd never have the chance to grow up. Sadness began to give way to anger and you could feel a tiny ball of rage growing in your stomach.

 _That thing took everything from you. It couldn't just destroy your family and walk away like that._

More tears fell and the ball tightened as you glanced at the family photo you had taken camping last summer. The trip was a disaster as Isaiah wandered into poison ivy and your dad had an allergic reaction to a bee sting, resulting in a visit to the hospital and early departure. Still, you had loved that trip because you got to spend time with your family.

Turning away, you noticed the Winchester brothers sharing identical looks of pity. You sucked in a breath and wiped the last of your tears as the brothers spoke at the same time. Sam still had that look of pity when he said, "I'm betting you have some question," while Dean looked over your head and blurted out, "We need to leave now."

Ignoring Sam, you glared at Dean and said, "What about my family? I can't just leave them."

Dean met your gaze and let out a troubled sigh, before gently saying, "I'm sorry kid, but your family is dead. There's nothing we can do for them, but you, you're still alive and we're gonna do everything we can to keep it that way. We can't stay. That shapeshifter is out there, and looks exactly like you. It was covered in blood and cut across your neighbour's yard, right through their cameras. How would you explain that to someone? The authorities are gonna be looking for you and we need to leave before they get here."

"But what happens to me then?"

"I don't know yet kid, but we have to leave now."

Tears swam in your eyes once again. You were going to leave your family forever. You were torn, but Dean was right. Wiping tears away once again, you muttered, "Fine. Just let me grab a couple things."

Climbing the stair slowly, you squeezed your eyes shut. You really didn't want to see your family's bodies again, but your room was at the end of the hall. You quickly packed a bag and scurried back down the hall, but stopped with you got to your brothers' room. You wanted one last thing and gathered your courage before pushing open the door. You tried to avoid looking at their motionless forms and made it to Isaiah's dresser. You scrambled around, but couldn't find it. Frustrated, you spun around and noticed a glint on the bedside table. There it was! Isaiah's sterling silver cross pendant glittered at you in the moonlight. It was his good luck charm and used to use it to ward off the monsters in the closet. You scoffed as your realized how futile it had been, but still tucked it into your pocket. You cried one last time for the sake of your parents, yourself, but mostly your brothers.

 **XXXX**

You were now seated in the back of a gorgeous, black '67 Chevy Impala. Sam turned around, eyeing you before saying, "You probably have a couple questions."

You nodded and collected your thoughts before you asked, "What was that thing and why did it look like me?"

Dean answered without looking, "It was a shapeshifter."

"A… a what?"

"Shapeshifter," Dean said, "It's a monster that can change appearance. It can look identical to anyone it chooses, then cause a bunch of trouble before shedding its skin and finding a new target."

"Okay? …But why'd it choose me? Why'd it kill my family?"

This time Sam answered, "We don't know. Opportunity probably. You were gone and it jumped at the chance to cause chaos."

"This makes no sense… I didn't… I didn't think monsters were even real."

"They are and there are lots more out there. Not just shapeshifters, but vampires, and vengeful spirits, and werewolves."

"This still doesn't make any sense. Who are you guys and how'd you know to show up at my house?"

"We're hunters and we track and kill all sorts of monsters. We'd been tracking this shifter for a while when we realized it was going to target your house. …It turned out to be too late."

Mournfully looking out the window, you sniffled.

The three of you sat in silence for a couple minutes before Dean cleared his throat and asked, "Do you have any family that would take you in?"

"What? Why? I thought I could stay with your guys," you cried, "You said you wouldn't let anything happen to me!"

"I'm sorry kid, but it's too dangerous. We can't keep you with us. Besides you still have a chance at a normal life."

 _How could he call it a normal life?_ Your family was murdered and the whole world was going to think it was you. Monsters were real and your reality was changed forever. Nothing would ever be normal again. You didn't have the energy to fight though, so you conceded defeat. "Fine. My Nana lives in Wisconsin, she'll take me in," you huffed, crossing your arms and looking out the window.

"You sure you can trust your Nana kid?"

"Dean," Sam scoffed.

"What?" he questioned.

Meeting Dean's eyes in the mirror, you answered, "Yes, my Nana loves me. Why would you even ask that?"

Avoiding your question, he replied, "Well okay then, Wisconsin it is."

 **XXXX**

Several hours later you were standing in front of your Nana's small cottage, saying goodbye to Sam and Dean. "Thanks you guys," you said, "I hope I see you again someday."

"For your sake kid, I hope you don't," Dean replied.

You knew they meant well as you gave one small final wave. You could hear the growl of the impala down the drive as you steeled yourself and knocked on the door. As soon as your Nana opened it, all composure was lost and you threw your arms around her, sniffling. Her eyes were wide and she hesitated before wrapping her own arms around you.

"Jay?" she questioned, "What are you doing here? Where's the rest of the family?"

You coughed and spluttered, trying to come up with an excuse. "Umm, they… they couldn't make it Nana. It's only me."

"How'd you get here sweetheart?"

"I… ugh… a couple friends gave me a ride Nana." You knew these explanations wouldn't hold, but you just needed an excuse until you came up with something better or decided to tell her the truth.

"Well come inside dear."

As you were ushered in, she made tea and got a bed ready for you. You were exhausted and crawled under the covers as she shuffled back into the living room and turned on the TV, the lights flickering below your door. You couldn't sleep though. Every time you closed your eyes, you saw your brothers staring at nothing. You were so sad and angry, but were helpless to do anything. You already missed Sam and Dean too. At least they had understood. You didn't want to shatter your Nana's reality and tell her truth, but you knew you'd have to. She'd find out about your family soon enough.

You were till staring at the ceiling when you heard quiet whispers coming from the other side of the door. "Nana?" you called out. The whispers stopped. You thought back to the eerie stillness of your own house and dread clouded your mind. You wrenched open the door, but the hallway was empty. Walking quickly through the house, you saw Nana's shadow in front of the kitchen window.

You breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Nana is everything okay?" She didn't reply so you repeated, "Nana, what's going on? Are you okay?"

When she turned around you saw tears streaming silently down her face and the phone clutched tightly in her grip. "How could you?" she asked.

"How could I what? Nana! What's going—"

Realization dawned as she replied, "It's everywhere, all over the news. You murdered your family Jayden. My own son! And now you've come to my house… were you planning on killing me next?"

You looked to the TV screen where your face was plastered with a banner underneath: TEENAGE GIRL ONLY SUSPECT IN MURDER OF OWN FAMILY. CONSIDERED DANGEROUS. IF FOUND, CONTACT AUTHORITIES IMMEDIATELY.

Nana's face was lit in blue and red with the flashing of police lights through the window. "No Nana! I didn't… I didn't… Nana it wasn't my fault! You're all I have left, I love you!" you spluttered.

She looked at you, but her voice was cold as she said, "I want to believe you, but I can't…"

Again tears streamed down your face. You backed out of the kitchen, staring at your Nana. When you heard pounding on the front door, you turned and ran down the hallway. You burst into your room, grabbed your things and climbed out the open window. The cold air stung your face, but dried your tears. Her betrayal hurt, but you were angry. That shapeshifting monster had taken everything from you, and you vowed to get your revenge.


	2. Your Average Hostile Human

Author's note: I still don't own Supernatural, and all rights still belong to Warner Brothers Studios.

Chapter 2 everybody... still open to any suggestions, just let me know! Enjoy!

 **XXXX**

You shook your head, clearing the memory. That was seven years ago and you were not that same girl. Your family was gone, Sam and Dean had left without a second glance and your Nana had betrayed you. You had adapted, and done what you needed to survive. Yes, you were cold and angry, but you were alive.

You shook your head again. You needed to focus on the task at hand. Right now, you were in the middle of a vampire hunt, outside an abandoned warehouse. You had been tracking the vamps for nearly a week, before you figured out where their nest was. Tonight was finally the night you would ambush them.

You had on a pair of scruffy jeans with a wide hole in the knee, a heavy military jacket and your favourite pair of combat boots. With you wavy hair in a ponytail and a knife gripped tightly in your hand, you entered the warehouse.

It was pitch black. You couldn't see anything so you used your hand to feel along the wall. It was damp and slimy, smelling of rot. Careful to stay hidden in the shadows, you advanced into a labyrinth of hallways.

Slowly rounding a corner, you spotted a pair of vampires. Squeezing against the wall, you sidestepped until you were nearly behind the larger of the two vamps. Swiftly and quickly, he disappeared into the shadows where he was promptly beheaded. "Doug?" the shorter one questioned, as Doug's head rolled back into the light. "Doug!"

You took your chance and ran out, driving into with enough force to shove him against the wall. You held your knife against his throat and sneered, "Doug's a little hung up at the moment." The vampire's eyes widened in fear as you finished the job and severed his head from his body.

Standing up, you heard quiet voices behind you. You ducked back into the shadows against the wall and picked up your pace. After walking a while longer, you finally reached the centre of the warehouse. The hallway opened into a large room with cavernous ceilings. Giant skylights bathed the room in moonlight. There were old crates stacked on top of each other in one half of the room, while the other half held rusted machinery that no longer worked.

Careful to remain in the shadows, you advanced into the room along the edge. You ducked behind a stack of empty crates and peeked around the edge, noticing a large group of vampires in the centre of the room. Keeping your eyes locked on them, you took another step forward, but splashed in a puddle, soaking through your boots. "Shit," you whispered without even thinking.

The vamps snapped their heads up, alert and focused. You slunk back behind the crates, further into the shadows and held your breath. _Could I be any more stupid?_ you mentally scolded yourself.

You held your breath as one of the vampires from the group slowly stood up. He peered into the blackness, sensing something was off. A couple more followed suit and half the group was advancing towards your hiding spot.

 _Shit,_ you thought again. But you tensed and crouched, determined to attack anyway. The one that stood first had shaggy brown hair and bright blue eyes that roamed the shadows, looking for you. His bright eyes locked on your grey ones, but before he could alert the others, you pounced.

Leaping from the shadows, you plunged you knife into his neck. Blood splattered across your face and jacket while he wheezed his last breath. Pulling the knife out, you faced the others.

They rushed you in a pack and you slashed at anything you could reach. The first had an arm sliced off and staggered back. Turning to face the second, you reached your knife out and left a deep gash in his neck.

Spinning again, you saw more advancing at you and a couple running in from the hallways. This was a bigger nest than you thought, but it was too late: you were in deep.

Spinning, kicking and slashing, you took down as many as you could, but it was no use. You had woefully underestimated the size of the nest and now you were paying for it.

You were doing your best to keep up with the amount of vampires. Stabbing one on your left, you didn't realize that the first vampire, your recently one-armed victim had procured a knife of his own and was advancing towards you. Just as you turned to face him, he stuck his own weapon out and cut deep into your abdomen.

You fell to the ground clutching your stomach as your knife clattered beside you. Looking up at the ceiling, you clenched your teeth in pain. This was it. You were done for; there was no way you could survive this wound. At least you'd finally be able to see your family again. Anger welled up inside you though as you remembered the shapeshifter. You had never been able to find him, and couldn't avenge your family's death… and now you never would.

You let out a cry of outrage, feeling around for your knife. If you were going down, you would take as many of these sons of bitches as you could. -armed vampire knelt down to your face and lowered his mouth to your ear. "You're really a pretty girl, you know. It's too bad this is how your life will end… although I can't say I won't enjoy it." He licked his lips.

You finally found your knife, slipper with blood. Clutching it tight, you drove it into the side of his neck. Shocked eyes met yours, as you coughed out, "Can't say I didn't enjoy that."

However, when he slumped over beside you, more vampires took his place, frenzied at the sight of your blood. They looked at your eagerly as you heard yelling from the hallway. _Even more?_ you thought, _I really did underestimate the size of this nest._

You searched for you knife again, but it was still stuck in that vamp's neck, too far out of reach. The yelling from the hallway was getting louder, drawing the attention of some of the vamps. Your vision was clouded and you were starting to see spots. You breaths were becoming wheezy and shallow. You coughed and felt blood rise over your lips. This really is the end you though as the vampire closest to you leaned down and ran his teeth lightly across your collar bone.

The shouting became more distinguishable the closer it got. You thought you recognized those voices but you didn't have the energy to look up. The back of your shirt was soaked as you lay in a puddle of your own blood. Your sight was almost completely filled by gaping black spots when you felt the vampire near you slump over; lifeless.

It was quiet now and you heard a male voice whisper, "Jayden?" before the blackspots overwhelmed you and your eyes fluttered shut, slipping into unconsciousness.

 **XXXX**

It was pitch black. Your eyes were closed, your abdomen ached and your head swam. You thought you heard hushed voices and attempted to open your eyes. The lights were too bright and you groaned. The voices immediately stopped talking.

Blinking rapidly, you squinted in the bright lights. "Where am I?" you moaned, clutching your stomach. There was no wound there you realized with a start. You could've sworn a vampire had dealt you a death blow.

"Jayden?" you heard a familiar voice whisper.

Turning your head, you searched for the source of the voice. _How did they know your name?_ Your grey eyes locked onto a pair of recognizable brown ones and widened. "Sam?" you gasped. You had to be dead.

"Am I dead?" you asked.

"No, but you were close," Sam replied.

 _How?_ You wondered. You were definitely surprised to see him and grateful that he had miraculously managed to save your life, but you were angry when you thought of the last time you saw him. Not wanting to look weak, you tried to sit up, but winced in pain.

"Easy does it there, kid," Dean said from across the room.

"Geez, thanks dad," you spit out sarcastically. Both brothers raised their eyebrows.

Sam cleared his throat before saying, "Well okay then, umm… how do you feel?" The concern in his eyes was noticeable, but it only angered you further.

You glared back at Sam, deflecting his question with one of your own, "What happened? The last thing I remember is nearly dying. Where are we anyway?"

Sam and Dean exchanged a look before Dean answered, "You did nearly die. If we had gotten there any later, you would've been gone."

Scowling, you asked, "How'd you find the vamp nest anyway?"

Sam answered this time, "We were tracking those vamps and had finally found their nest a couple days ago. After gathering extra supplies, we decided that we'd take them all out tonight. When we got there, only a few vampires were left in the hallways. We fought, and they slowly retreated back into the main room where we saw a whole hoard descending on you. We fought our way through to where you laid in a puddle of your own blood. We got you out of there and took you to our motel. Which is where we currently are."

"How'd you get through all the vamps though? There were too many for just the two of you and that doesn't answer the question of how I was practically brought back from the dead without any scars," you said, lifting the hem of your shirt and examining your smooth stomach.

Sam opened his mouth as if to speak, but Dean interrupted him, "Slow your roll there, Scooter. We gave you answers and I think it's your turn for an explanation. What happened to you? Last time we saw you, you were saying goodbye and hugging your Nana in the doorway."

Thinking back to that night, tears sprung to your eyes, but you blinked them away quickly, "Life happened, Dean. What did you expect? That I was just going to be able to play house with my grandmother and live happily ever after?"

Looking at the floor sheepishly, Dean didn't reply. Sam moved towards you as if to comfort you, but you threw the blankets off and sat up straight. "You were right, Dean! I couldn't trust my own grandmother! She called the cops when she saw what happened on the news. You knew I couldn't hide what happened from her, but you still left me there. I had to leave after that and go it my own. I had no one! The only people I could ask for help, the two of you in this very motel room, had left without a trace!"

The blankets were clenched in your angry fists and Dean looked right at you with a stoic expression, while Sam, with concern filled eyes, began, "Look Jayden, I am so sor-"

"Stop it; I don't need your pity! I don't want your pity! Saying sorry isn't going to erase the last seven years of my life, you know. Thanks for saving my life and all, but I'm not staying here."

You swung your feet over the edge of the bed and stood up. Your head spun, but you were determined to leave and moved towards the door. Sam was still behind you saying, "Wait Jayden, you don't have to go. You can barely stand on your own; we can help you and work things out."

Ignoring him, you wrenched open the door only to come face to face with a man. He wore a plain white shirt and a black suit underneath a long tan overcoat. His hair was black; his eyes a piercing blue, and a scruffy five o'clock shadow licked his face.

"You might not want to do that," the stranger said in a deep gravelly voice.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I am Castiel, an angel of the Lord."

You looked back at Sam and Dean, saying, "What the hell is this?" Your head still spun and your knees were getting weaker by the second, but your resolve to leave was strong. You didn't need these two or this weirdo stranger, you were fine on your own.

"Listen Jayden," Sam began, "we'll explain all of this, but you need to stay and rest. You can stay here, we'll answer any questions and if you still want to leave you can."

"No Sam. I don't need your help, I've been on my own for a long time now, and I can take care of myself. Just get this jerk to move out of the doorway."

The stranger named Castiel ignored you, looked at Dean and asked, "Why is this human so hostile, I though you said she was a friend?"

Dean sighed and just shook his head.

You were frustrated and so dizzy, you felt as if you were going to vomit. "Just get out… out of the doorway so I can—I have to… to-" You squeezed your eyes shut in an attempt to gather your bearings, but it didn't work. Growing even more light-headed, you murmured, "I don't… I don't need any help, just let me-" However, you felt your weakened knees give out and a strong grip quickly grab your arms to keep you upright.

"I told you, you did not want to do that," a deep gravelly voice said before you blacked out once again.


	3. The Bunker

I am not the owner of Supernatural, nor will I ever be. Read, enjoy, leave comments, whatever you like.

 **XXXX**

You awoke once again, this time with memories of the recent events. You were thirsty and your head still swam, but squeezing your eyes shut tight, you could still feel the ghost of a touch on your arms. You remembered your angry outburst, but the hot boiling rage had dissipated somewhat. Slowly, you peeled your eyes opened to find Sam sitting the table on his computer while Dean and the supposed angel, Castiel, talked seriously in the corner.

You coughed and all three men looked at you. "Water," you coughed out in a hoarse voice.

Sam got up from the small table, grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and cracked it open before handing it to you and sitting on the edge of the bed. Taking a drink and feeling better than before, you sat up and looked at each person in turn.

"Alright, what is going on?" you asked, slightly annoyed.

Sam replied, "You asked how we got through all those vamps to get to you and how you miraculously survived. Well that is all thanks to Cas. He was telling the truth when he said he was an angel. He blasted through the vamps and he was the one who healed you."

Too shocked to be angry, you blurted out, "Angels are real?"

"Do you remember that 'freak meteor shower' last year? That was actually all the angels falling from heaven."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold it. You're telling me, not only are angels real, but they all fell from the sky and are currently on earth? How'd that happen?"

"Technically, they fell from heaven," Castiel interjected.

"Well anyway, they are real, but it's kind of a long story..." Sam replied. "How're you feeling now?"

"Better," you replied curtly.

"Listen, we're so sorry for what happened to you, but Dean and I did what we thought was best at the time."

"Oh really? Hey Dean, do you remember asking if I could trust my own grandmother?" you reply sarcastically, "You had a feeling she'd give me up didn't you? But you still left me there."

"She was your family, you said you could trust her and that she loved you," Dean replied quietly, "That was the only family you had left kid, and I'd be damned if I was gonna take you away from that."

"That still doesn't excuse the fact that you two left me without giving me some way of reaching you. You told me monsters were real and just left. When things went south, which they did pretty quickly, I had no one!"

"You're never alone. Angels are watching over and protecting all humans, all you have to do is pray," Castiel interjected.

"Oh, I don't give a flying rat's ass about your angel bullshit. I needed a real person to be there for me!"

Castiel closed his mouth and looked at you with surprise. His expression turned to one of evaluation.

"We're so sorry Jayden," Sam said quietly, "we went to check on you a couple weeks later, but your grandmother said you ran away."

"Technically, she wasn't lying."

Sam winced, but continued, "We've been looking out for you ever since, but we had no place to start searching. It was like you had disappeared without a trace."

Realizing that Sam and Dean had come back for you, you felt some anger drain away. You were too tired to be this angry anyway. The silence stretched on as you were left with your thoughts.

Sam cleared his throat. "Are you okay, Jayden?"

You met his eyes and said, "Just peachy."

The three men shared uncomfortable looks but said nothing. You shook your head in an attempt to clear it so you could think about what you were going to say next.

"Listen," you began, "I want to thank you for saving my life." You looked at each of them in turn before continuing, "But I can't stay here. I work better on my own."

Sam looked downcast, but Dean replied, "Alright, fine. You can go, but only after you answered our questions."

Too tired to fight anymore, you sighed and said, "Shoot."

"What happened to you after you ran away from your grandmother. I want everything from the day you ran away to the moment we saw you in that vampire nest."

Taking a deep breath, you started to explain how you had taken off along the edge of the woods where your grandmother lived. A Good Samaritan picked you up and took you to the next big city. You were able to find work at a diner, but news was spreading about the girl who murdered her own family. You robbed the diner before you bought a bus ticket and left town. You didn't stay in that city for long either and ended up hitchhiking halfway across the country, pickpocketing and scamming people to get any money you could. You would squat in empty houses or sleep on the streets. After a while you saved up enough money to buy a car and lived out of it. One day when you were in a grocery store you heard two women talking about all these weird occurrences. Remembering what Sam and Dean had told you about monsters, you realized it was a ghost and burned its bones before it could hurt anyone's family. That was when you decided to be a hunter and find the shapeshifter that killed your family. You were following a lead for the shifter when you came across the vamp nest and decided to exterminate them.

Sam, Dean and Cas listened silently to the whole story. Only at the end did Sam pipe up and say, "Hear me out. If you don't like the idea, you can still leave. But, we can help you. We can help you find the shifter who killed your family. We've set up base at a bunker filled with files and documents on every supernatural being. We've got friends that can help too. You can stay with us for as long as it takes."

Without even thinking, you replied: "Done deal."

You would do anything to get your revenge on that shifter.

 **XXXX**

The rest of your day was spent watching bad TV in the motel. Castiel had left earlier in the afternoon mumbling something about business in heaven. One second he was there and the next he was gone. You gasped quietly, but still Dean looked over at you and said, "He does that all the time. You'll get used to it eventually." You nodded and turned your focus back to the TV.

The afternoon passed in a blur of old movies, stale chips and naps. When you woke from your most recent nap, it was dark outside.

"How are you feeling kid?" Dean asked while sharpening a knife.

Slowly and carefully, you stretched each muscle in your body before responding, "Better. A lot better, actually… maybe even better than before?"

"That's good news. Are you feeling up for a road trip? We can head to the bunker if you're up for it."

"Only if you've still got that gorgeous black impala," you smirked.

"Ah, a woman after my own heart," Dean teased.

Sam exited the bathroom with damp hair, and scoffed, "Oh no, don't tell me you're a wrench monkey too, Jayden."

"No, not really, but I can still appreciate a great car when I see one," you winked at Dean.

"A great car," he scoffed, "my baby is a thing of beauty!"

"Oh no, did I hurt your feelings? In that case, please excuse me for my ignorance," you replied sarcastically.

"Okay, okay, let's just pack up and go home before you really hurt Dean's feelings," Sam said, rolling his eyes.

You and the Winchesters packed up, checked out and headed to the impala. The door creaked when you opened it and the leather seat was a bit sticky, but it was still that same car that took you to your new life seven years ago. Dean stuck the key in the ignition and the impala growled to life, while Metallica blared from the stereo.

"Dean can we please change the cassette tape, we've been listening to this for days."

Looking offended, Dean replied, "Well Sammy, why don't we ask Jayden what she thinks?"

Sam turned around in his seat before asking, "Well?"

"Well what other tapes do you have? I wouldn't mind some Bon Jovi."

Sam's face fell, but he muttered, "At least it's not Metallica anymore."

"You can appreciate classic cars and your music taste isn't terrible. You can stay as long as you want, kid," Dean laughed.

A couple hours passed and you were beginning to drift in and out of sleep, when you suddenly felt a presence beside you. Opening your eyes, you sat up quickly and saw that Castiel had suddenly appeared in the seat next to you. He glanced at you before bringing his attention to the brothers.

"I have news from heaven, the angels are…" You stopped listening and looked out the window. You were really back with the Winchesters. They were taking you to the bunker and with their help, you'd finally get revenge of the shifter that killed your family. _Your family._ You couldn't think about your family for long before the feelings you kept shut away rose to the surface. Of course you were sad, but you focused instead on the anger to keep yourself strong.

"Jayden?" you heard Dean say.

Shaken out of your thoughts, you stammered, "Uh yeah… sorry, what did you say?"

"I just said that we're only an hour from the bunker. How are you feeling anyway?"

"Fine," you replied tersely.

Castiel squinted his eyes and cocked his head to the side as if he knew you were lying. Yet he still said, "Of course she's fine, Dean, I healed her wounds myself."

He continued to stare at you as you replied, "Well angel brain, people have emotions to go with their bodies, and coming back from the dead can wreak havoc on those pesky things."

"I sense an undertone of sarcasm."

"Cas, I think that was your fastest recognition time yet," Dean laughed from the front seat.

"Yes, well, I've got to go back to heaven."

Castiel threw one more cursory glance your way before the seat beside you was empty. The angel was strange, but there was something endearing about him as well. Sighing, you returned your attention to the world outside the impala and thought about the resources at the bunker that would help you track that shifter.

 **XXXX**

Walking in the door of the bunker was surreal. You were at the top of wrought iron stairs and looked down into a large room, which opened into what seemed like a library. The floors shone, stacks of books lined the walls, and a gleaming oak table sat in the centre of it. Your mouth dropped at the sheer amount of books; you couldn't wait to start researching.

"Well Jayden, this is home, sweet home," Dean yawned.

"When you said bunker, this wasn't exactly what I imagined."

"It gets the job done though."

"I can see that."

Sam cleared his throat and said, "We can give you a real tour tomorrow, but right now I'll just show you to a room."

Still in awe, you followed Sam down a hallway. He stopped in front of a door and pushed it open, revealing a small and simple bedroom. There was a single bed on one side and a wardrobe on the other. Sure it was sparse, but this was your first real room in ages.

"Dean is down that end of the hallway on the right, and I am that room a couple doors down. You can settle in and I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight, Jayden."

You stepped into the room and shut the door behind you. You flopped onto your bed and sat there and thinking about how lucky you were; this was your first real home in seven years and you were going to catch the shifter that killed your family. Things finally seemed to be going your way.


	4. Research & Restless Energy

Don't own Supernatural, all rights belong to the rightful owners.

Please enjoy, I've had major writer's block so I'm hoping it's good

 **XXXX**

You groaned and rolled over, tangling yourself in the sheets. When you opened your eyes and stared at the small bare room with the wardrobe tucked in the corner, you silently thanked the powers that be. It wasn't a dream. The last couple days were real. Somehow the Winchesters had found you and they were going to help you get your revenge.

You kicked off the sheets and tumbled out of bed. Throwing on a sweater, you padded down the hallway in the direction you hoped to be the kitchen. As you got closer to the end of the hallway, you could hear the clinking of a spoon against a cup. You walked past the staircase you descended the night before and followed the noise. Finally making it to the source, you entered a tiny kitchen where Sam was stirring a cup of coffee. He was sitting at the table, staring at his computer, but glanced up when you walked in.

"Hey, how was your sleep last night?"

"Pretty good," you let a tiny smile slip out.

Sam smiled back, "I see a good night's sleep has calmed the beast, so to speak."

"Yeah, yeah… whatever," you rolled your eyes good naturedly.

"So what do you want for breakfast? We've got toast, fruit, cereal, eggs…" Sam trailed off.

Noticing the bowl of fruit on the counter, you scooped up an apple, sat down across from Sam and said, "I'd take some tea, if you've got any."

Standing up, Sam said, "I would never have guessed you as a tea drinker." He opened a cupboard above the stove and added, "Let's see what we can find in here." He rummaged around and finally pulled out a box of green tea, blowing dust off the top.

"Your tea, madam"

"Geez, how old is this?" you questioned, holding the box in front of you.

"To be honest, I'm not really sure… tea doesn't go bad, does it?"

Laughing, you replied, "I guess we'll see. Don't rent my room out right away if I die though."

Sam winked and smiled again, "Don't worry; we'll keep it as a shrine."

You boiled your tea and sat at the table, talking to Sam about the potential case he was looking at. After a few minutes, Dean stumbled in with bleary eyes and tousled hair. He ran a hand through it, making it even messier and causing it to stick up in all directions. Staring at you for a moment, he just nodded and started looking through the cupboards.

When Dean was settled in beside Sam on the opposite side of the table, munching on a bowl of cereal, Sam looked to you and said, "How about an official tour of the place?"

"Yes, definitely!" you answered, thinking about that library.

"Alright, let's go."

You and Sam left Dean behind to finish his breakfast and ventured into the bunker.

Sam took you around the entire bunker. There were the basics: the bathroom, kitchen, bedrooms, but there was also a torture room complete with a devil's trap and chains, and a fully stocked garage. You spent a while in there admiring each car until Sam let out an impatient sigh and ushered you onto the next room. The tour ended in rooms filled with files and books and paper; you were nearly bursting with eagerness to start researching.

Finally, Sam turned to you and said, "There is only one rule."

You were becoming impatient and prompted, "Which is?"

"Put everything back exactly where you found it when you're finished."

"Alright, understood. Can I begin now?" You bounced on the balls of your feet.

Sam chuckled and replied, "It's all yours."

 **XXXX**

You spent the entire day buried in books and paper, and didn't realize the time until Dean walked into the library and called, "Hey Jayden, dinner's ready."

Tidying your station, you left the library and followed Dean into the kitchen.

Castiel was sitting at the table and staring at nothing.

"Uh, hi," you said skeptically.

Castiel averted his gaze to you and replied, "Hello Jayden."

"Cas here is gonna eat dinner with us," Dean said, slapping Cas on the back.

"Oh yeah? What are we having anyway?"

"Lasagna, and Sammy threw a salad together, but I understand if you don't want to eat the rabbit food, kid."

Sam rolled his eyes as you dropped into the seat across from Castiel. Helping yourself to a heaping portion of lasagna, you offered the dish to him.

Castiel shook his head and said, "Angels don't eat. All food tastes like molecules."

You set the dish down awkwardly and cleared your throat before saying, "I take it molecules don't taste that great."

"Glucose is particularly bad."

You snorted while Sam and Dean stared at you.

Sam was incredulous as he said, "You actually thought that was funny?"

"Oh come on, an angle just said that glucose of all things was a particularly bad tasting molecule…"

Dean chimed in, "To be fair Sammy that was one of his better jokes."

Castiel blinked and cocked his head to the side, assessing you.

The scrutiny made you uncomfortable so you piped up with a question, "So, do angels sleep, or is that also not required?"

"We do not."

"Huh," was all you replied with. You weren't sure what else to say.

Silence stretched over the table when another question popped into your mind, "How many of you are there?"

"There are countless numbers of angels."

"I see."

You gave up on conversation and left the silence to be filled with steady conversation from Sam, Dean and occasionally, Castiel.

You finished supper quickly, washed your dishes, and returned to the library to do more research before bed. A couple hours later, Sam stepped in to say goodnight.

"Hey Jayden, Dean and I are tucking in for the night. It's 11:30; we'll see you in the morning."

Rubbing your tired eyes, you said, "Night, Sam," and closed the book in front of you. A whole day of research and you hadn't found anything. You ran your hands through your hair and set your head on the table. Thinking about all the possibilities of what could've happened to that shifter made your head hurt and you closed your eyes.

 **XXXX**

A hand on your shoulder startled you awake. You stood up so fast, your chair toppled over behind you and papers fluttered to the floor. You pulled the knife out of your waistband and spun around to face a startled Castiel. He stepped back a couple paces as you lowered your weapon and pulled a sticky note off your right cheek.

"I didn't mean to startle you. I wasn't sure if you were sleeping or not," Castiel said staring at you.

You were a little flustered as you answered, "Umm… yeah, no, it's okay. Sorry for trying to stab you."

"I need to talk to Sam and Dean. Do you know where they are?"

You were a bit preoccupied reading the note Dean had left on your face. When you realized what Castiel had said, you sighed and handed the paper to him. "Looks like they're out following a lead… who knows when they'll be back." A thought just occurred to you. "Shit, do I have a mustache drawn on my face?"

Castiel looked up from the note and stared at your face. His eyes roamed your mouth for a couple moments before meeting your eyes. Your breath caught in your throat for a second. He had to have the most gorgeous blue eyes you had ever seen. They reminded you of looking into the depths of the ocean as you could feel yourself getting lost in them. You looked away quickly and shook your head. _Of course his eyes were beautiful, he's a freaking angel!_

You brought your hand to your upper lip and said, "Well?"

There was an awkward silence as Castiel still took a moment to answer, before he said, "Uh no, no mustache."

You let out a relieved sigh. "Oh thank goodness, I wouldn't put it past Dean."

"Speaking of which, I need to find them."

"Right, I'm sorry, but I can't help you. I don't know what leads they're following and I'm not sure when they'll be back." You set the chair back upright and sat down again. "Can't you just use you angel powers to find them anyway? Like you did in the car that one time?"

Castiel looked uncomfortable as he said, "I can't. The truth is, I lost my grace?"

You could tell this was a big deal, but weren't entirely sure what that meant. "To be honest, I'm not really sure what that means."

Castiel sighed and continued, "An angel's grace is what makes an angel an angel. Without it they have no powers and are considered a human."

"Okay, well now I'm more confused. You lost your grace, but you're not a human either since you can still teleport everywhere."

"Yes, well…" Castiel looked uncomfortable again as he said, "I've taken the grace of another angel and it's running out. This place is so heavily warded, it took too much energy to get here, and I can't waste more looking for Sam and Dean and then going there."

"So you're in quite the predicament then."

"Yes, it appears so."

Awkwardness was still spread around the room as you sat in silence for a couple moments while Castiel started pacing the floor. You gathered up your courage before you said, "If you don't mind me asking… how does an angel lose its grace anyway?"

Castiel's fists clenched at his sides before he answered, "You're naïve and believe that everyone is helping you to achieve the greater good."

"Uh-huh." You could tell the subject was a touchy one and let it go.

You tidied up the papers you had knocked everywhere while Castiel continued to pace the floor. You leaned back in your chair and sighed, watching him. Seven steps to the right and he'd turn on his heel. He ran his hands through his hair and tugged on his tie, making him seem more human than angel. Seven paces to the right and another turn. The cycle went on a coupole more times before you couldn't stand to watch him any longer and cleared your throat in an attempt to get his attention.

"Hey Feathers, pacing the floor isn't going to make Sam and Dean return any sooner."

"This is urgent."

"Yeah, but they'll come back when they come back. Nothing you do is going to make them get here any sooner. You can leave or wait it out. Your choice, just please stop pacing, you're making me restless."

Castiel cocked his head, reminding you of a puppy. _He's an angel, not a freaking puppy!_ you had to remind yourself, _An all-powerful entity of God._ He looked at you before pulling out a chair and sitting down on the opposite side of the table.

You turned your attention back to the papers you had been clearing and attempted to focus on research. You had become accustomed to the awkwardness and tried your best to shrug it off. Only a couple of minutes had gone by when Castiel's leg started to shake under the table. You glared at him and he slowly stopped. However, only a moment had gone by when he started drumming his fingers on the table. Every couple minutes he would glance toward the doorway and his restless energy was driving you crazy.

"For a being who is supposed to be all holier-than-thou, you have no patience, you know."

He immediately sat so still you weren't sure he was breathing. _Did angels need to breathe?_ "It's urgent," was his only reply.

"And I told you that Sam and Dean will be back when they're back. You're driving me crazy, and I can't find anything about this shifter… so what do you say we do something to distract ourselves?"

Castiel sat there in silence, contemplating your offer before finally saying, "How do we do that?"


	5. An Angel in the Bunker

No ownership of Supernatural here, it belongs to Warner Bros.

I really enjoyed writing this chapter, so I hope you all enjoy it too!

 **XXXX**

You and Castiel had tried to watch a movie, but the selection screamed Dean and Castiel's leg started shaking not long after you plugged it in.

You gave up on the movie and now you were seated at the table in the main bunker. A game of monopoly was set up, blocking the world map underneath. You had been playing for an hour and Castiel owned nearly every square. You sighed and moved your piece to the boardwalk. The last of your money was spent trying to pay rent while Castiel counted his.

You pushed the board away gently and laid your head down staring at the world map. Your eyes were fixed on China when you said, "I always wanted to go there, you know."

Castiel cleared his throat and said gently, as if he were talking to a small child, "I think the boardwalk is a fictitious place."

You barked out a laugh, pointed at the world map and said, "No, I meant China. I always wanted to travel the world."

Castiel said nothing so you continued, "Before I became a hunter, I planned to take a year off after high school and travel. I wanted to backpack across Europe, travel South East Asia, and hike across South America. Now, I'm 24, living in a bunker and playing monopoly with an angel of the Lord."

You sighed wistfully as Castiel said, "Well, why did you become a hunter then? Why not just follow through with your plans?"

You cringed as you realized how easily you had stumbled into sensitive territory. Not wanting to talk about your family, you just answered, "Something happened and I met Sam and Dean. After that, I had to be a hunter."

You and Castiel sat in silence for a while. You were left alone with your sad thoughts when Castiel suddenly spoke up, "I'm sure there's monsters in all these other countries," he gestured to the map, "Hunters are probably needed everywhere."

You smiled and glanced up at Castiel. He evaded your gaze awkwardly, but you still said, "I've got something to take care of first, but that sounds really nice."

You stretched your arms above your head and said, "For someone who's never played monopoly, you were scary good."

"Yes well, I've watched centuries of human greed and capitalism."

You let out a surprised laugh and said, "I see your years of experience give you an unfair advantage."

Castiel just stared at you so you suggested, "Why don't we do something else?"

He sighed and you could tell his thoughts were going back to Sam and Dean and whatever he wanted to talk to them about. Suddenly, an idea flitted through you mind.

"Have you ever heard of bloody knuckles?"

He regarded you with a cursory glance and responded, "No. That sounds painful."

"…well no… or yes, well I don't know. It depends how good you are. Besides people always say physical pain distracts from emotional pain anyway, right?"

"I don't think that's a healthy mindset."

"Oh come on, bloody knuckles isn't that bad. You don't even know how to play."

Castiel still looked concerned, but said, "Well…. Alright, how do you play?"

You stood up and walked around the table until you were in the chair beside him. "Turn and face me and hold out your hands in fists in front of you."

He did as he was told and you did the same. "Okay, now I'm gonna try and hit your knuckles with my fists, but you have to move yours away before I do. Then it's your turn. Oh, and if you flinch before I go to hit your hands, I get a free hit."

Castiel just stared at you and asked, "What is the point of this game?"

"First one that wants out, loses. Are you ready?"

He nodded, and stared down at your hands. You moved them quickly and hit Castiel. He stared at them quizzically and you said, "You know you're supposed to move them? Pull them back before I can hit them."

"Right."

"Okay, it's your turn now."

He slowly lifted his hands and you pulled yours away quickly. This was too easy. "Come on," you said, "like you mean it!"

"I still don't understand the point of this game."

"What does it matter? We're just doing this—"

His hands moved quickly and before you could react, they connected with your knuckles, sending a dull ache through your fists.

"Like that?"

You narrowed your eyes at him and said, "You act all angelic and naïve, but you were just waiting to do that, weren't you?"

He shrugged his shoulders feigning indifference, but you thought you saw a small smirk cross his lips before you hit his hands again.

 **XXXX**

Bloody knuckles had gone on for a while. Yours were red and aching while Castiel's seemed as if you hardly touched them even though you hit hard enough to bruise. He had offered to heal yours, but you said, "The loser's gotta suffer through the pain. Besides you have to save your angel juice for more important things."

The rest of the day was spent alternating between different board games and another attempt at watching a movie. However, you fell asleep shortly after it was plugged in and woke to Castiel staring at the credits. He glanced over but never said anything and you got up for a glass of water.

It was now nine o'clock and neither Sam nor Dean had arrived back at the bunker. You and Castiel were sitting in the kitchen, playing cards at the table. You were getting bored as this was you third round of war in a row. You had just won Castiel's joker for the second time when you huffed out a breath and said, "Are you as bored as I am?"

Castiel looked up at you and replied, "This game is becoming tiresome."

"Well, I'm glad we're in agreement then."

Your eyes roamed the kitchen and landed on a couple bottles of whiskey left out on the counter.

You raised your eyebrows and asked Castiel, "Do you want to make things interesting?"

He followed your gaze and blinked at the bottles. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Dean once told me he'd pluck my wings if I ever touched his alcohol."

You just laughed and said, "I'll take the blame for it. It'll be fine, I'll buy more. Heck, we could probably replenish it by the time those two come back anyway."

Castiel still looked uncertain, but didn't object when you got up, grabbed the bottle and two shot glasses.

"Okay, new rule: whoever loses the match has to drink."

You felt pretty good about your chances since you had both jokers and a large number of face cards.

 **XXXX**

An hour later and you were plastered. Somehow Castiel had made a comeback and the only cards left in your hands were a 2 of clubs and 5 of hearts. Two matches later, you were out of cards and the bottle of whiskey was empty.

Your brain was fuzzy as you stared at Castiel. He barely seemed affected and he had drunk nearly the same amount of whiskey as you. "Why aren't you drunk?"

"I'm an angel."

You were still confused and just said, "… Right. Well, come on." You stood up and kicked off your boots. You made it to the kitchen doorway and glanced over your shoulder to see Castiel still sitting in his chair, watching you. "Are you coming or not?"

He sighed, got up from the chair, and followed you mumbling something about a bad idea.

"Come on Angel Brain, don't be a Debbie downer!" He looked taken aback by the nickname, which caused you to laugh, "We're gonna have some real fun now!"

He looked uncertain as he said, "And what exactly is it that we're going to do?"

You made it to the hallway that housed the bedrooms and tested your socks on the floor. Your socks were striped bright green and white and were made of the fluffy material that you loved. Glancing at Castiel, you said, "We're gonna slide down the hall in our socks! Whoever slides furthest is the winner! Now, come on, kick off your shoes Angel Boy, you're going down!"

Castiel looked exasperated and said, "I'm not sure this is such a great idea either, Jayden. You're so drunk, you can barely stand straight."

"That's not true!" you cried as you tripped and grabbed the wall for support. "Oops," you laughed, "pretend you didn't see that."

You made it to the far end of the hallway and shouted, "Okay, I'll go first, but then it's your turn." You were determined to slide the farthest. It seemed as if Castiel had won every board game and card game that day. You had a good feeling about this though; no way would he be able to slide farther. He probably wore lame black socks like every monkey in a suit. They were not ideal for sliding at all. "Hey Feathers!" you called, "What kind of socks are you wearing anyway? You've got those lame office socks, don't you? You know you're not going to win, that's why you don't want to do it."

You heard him sigh at the end of the hallway and laughed to yourself.

However, now was the time to focus. You took a deep breath and backed up a couple more paces before breaking into a sprint down the hallway. You stopped running and let your feet carry you down the remaining length of the hallway, but you realized Castiel was right too late. You were too drunk to do this and lost your balance as one foot gave out underneath you. Your arms were swinging at your sides, trying to regain your balance. Your face was going to crack against the concrete floor and there was nothing you could do about it.

You braced yourself for the fall, but instead your face hit a soft chest. You could feel the starched white shirt under your cheek and a pair of strong hands on both your arms. You looked up into Castiel's face and in your embarrassment said the first thing that came to your mind, "Hey! I would've slid further still! You're cheating, Angel Face." You cheeks heated when you heard what you just called Castiel.

He just sighed again and his shook his head. "Come on," he said as he guided you down the hallway and sat you on the steps. He dropped onto the step next to you, but never said anything.

You sat in silence, thinking for a couple minutes before you realized something. "Your angel juice!" you gasped.

"It's okay, I'm already in the bunker so it's not like I had to get past any sigils. I didn't use that much of my grace doing that."

"Oh, okay," you said, deflating with relief.

Another couple minutes passed and you were left alone with your own thoughts. Somehow your drunk, fuzzy brain came up with the words, "I used to do that with my brothers all the time. Slide down the hall in our socks, I mean."

Castiel was surprised as he turned and faced you, saying, "Why don't you anymore?"

It was your turn to sigh as you recalled all your sad memories. "They're both dead. A shifter killed them and my parents when I was 17. This is all I have left of them," you said, pulling out Isaiah's sterling silver cross pendant. You kept it in the inside pocket of your jacket, right near your heart. This was the first time in years you had pulled it out. "You know, you're actually the first person I've shown this to."

Castiel looked sad as he said, "I'm guessing that's when you met Sam and Dean?"

"Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!" you cheered, "Now do you see why I had to become a hunter? I have to find that shifter."

Castiel still looked sad as he glanced away. "That must be the only monster Sam and Dean ever let get away."

You did not expect that and let out a laugh. Your fuzzy brain thought it was a good idea to lean your head against Castiel's arm, so you did. "You know what? I think I like you Angel Brain. At first you were all stone cold steel, but you tell funny jokes."

You felt Castiel let out a breath and looked up at his face. You froze as you realized there was a small smile on his face. This was the first time you'd seen him smile. _Damn. His smile was gorgeous too._ You shook you head, trying to collect yourself. "Is that a smile I see?"

You began smiling yourself when he looked down to meet your gaze. His smile slowly disappeared and he looked in your eyes, as if searching for something. They were still blue as the ocean depths and sparkling too. You were just about to speak, when the door at the top of the stairs groaned open.

"We're home!" Dean called out.

Castiel's eyes seemed to stop sparkling as you sat up straight, frowning.

"Hey, were you having a party without us?" Dean asked when he saw the two of you sitting at the bottom of the stairs.

You gripped the railing as you hauled yourself to a standing position and said, "Deano, I haven't seen you all day."

Dean stopped halfway down the stairs and narrowed his eyes at you. "Did you drink my whiskey?"

You panicked and glanced at Castiel with wide eyes before bursting into giggles. "What? No way, I wouldn't… There's whiskey in the bunker, you say?"

"Nice try kid, you drank it, didn't you."

You glanced at Castiel again before saying, "Dammit. He's too good. He knows we did it."

Dean just laughed as you apologized to Castiel for letting out your secret.

Sam walked in just then and you called to him, "Sammy! You're back too! Castiel and I drank Dean's whiskey. Hey, did your lead turn out to be anything?"

Sam laughed too and walked down the stairs to you. "Come on," he said, guiding you to your room, "let's get you to bed, shall we? You're gonna have a nasty hangover when the morning comes. We couldn't find anything with our leads. They turned out to be nothing."

You let Sam drag you away as you heard Castiel say, "Dean I have to speak with you about something important. It's heaven…"

You knew Castiel wasn't going to be there come morning, so you called over your shoulder, "Goodnight Angel Brain, thanks for a great day!"

Sam laughed as he opened your bedroom door and ushered you in. He stood in the doorway as you flopped on the bed, not bothering to crawl under the covers. "Goodnight Sam. I like your hair," you smiled at him in the doorway.

He just chuckled again as he shut the door and softly said, "Goodnight Jayden."

You drifted off to the sounds of their hushed voices talking about whatever was wrong with heaven.


	6. Thinman

I don't own Supernatural, only wish I did... imagine the money you'd have...

Anyway, you'll probably recognize this case if you've watched season 9! The story is gonna follow parallel to the legitimate Supernatural, but it's still going to focus on Jayden's story first and foremost. So please read, review and enjoy!

 **XXXX**

You woke up with a pounding headache and your mouth was so dry you wondered if you'd eaten sand the night before. You sat up but your head swam so it took another couple minutes to get out of bed. You shuffled down the hallway, nearly blinded by the lights. When you made it to the kitchen, you saw Dean sitting at the table, drinking coffee and reading a newspaper.

"Morning, Sunshine," he grinned at you.

His voice made your head feel like he'd stepped on it instead of wishing you a good morning. You scowled at him as best you could and whispered, "Not so loud. I can barely think," as you went about trying to make tea.

"Ah yes," he laughed, which only made you wince, "the dreaded hangover. That's what you get for drinking all my whiskey."

"Did Cas talk to you? He spent the whole day here waiting for you."

"Yes he did. He spent the whole day here? What did you guys do?"

"I just helped him pass the time. We tried watching a couple movies, but those never really worked out, so we just played board games and card games… all of which he is pretty good at."

Dean smirked at you over his coffee, "I don't really see where the alcohol comes in?"

You huffed and said, "Cards was getting pretty boring, so I thought we'd make things interesting… not that he got very drunk anyway. He had as many shots as I did… how does that make sense?"

Dean laughed loudly at this and you held your pounding head in your hands. "Sorry," he wheezed, "he literally can't get drunk. Something about being and angel and what not. There was only one time where he actually did get drunk, but he had to drink an entire liquor store… Sam was the only one to witness that, I wish I was there. I can't believe you tried to take him on."

Dean sat there smiling to himself while you thought of what happened after you were intoxicated. _Could you be any more dorky? And you told Castiel your sad little sob story. At least he didn't tell you he was sorry. God, you hated that! It didn't matter if people were sorry, there was nothing they could do to make it better. Your family was still gone!_ That only made you think of how you rested your head on his arm. _Had you really done that too? And then you told him you liked his jokes and stared into his eyes like a love-struck moron. He probably thought you were pathetic._

You shook you head, then immediately regretted it as another bolt of pain shot behind your eyes. Finishing your tea, you stood up and left the kitchen without saying anything more to Dean.

 **XXXX**

A week had gone by and you still hadn't seen Castiel since your day spent in the bunker. You also hadn't found any new information or leads on you shifter. The bunker had all the generic information: A shifter's eyes glinted bright silver, they left behind a foul, goopy mess of skin when they shed, and silver bullets killed them easily. There was one piece of new information though: shifters could gain access to the memories of whoever they turned into. That was new and unsettling information, but didn't help you track it! You followed leads and mysterious deaths online, but nothing worked. You couldn't catch a break when it came to this shifter.

You were sitting in the library and let out a frustrated huff when Sam walked in and set up shop beside you. "I take it the search isn't going so well?"

"Not well at all," you replied.

Sam and Dean had been spending quite a bit of time apart this last week. Things seemed a little tense between them, but you didn't know why. You did your best to ignore it and left the brothers to sort things out among themselves.

Only a couple of minutes had gone by when Dean walked in carrying a bag.

"Alright, I'll be back," he said.

Confused, you looked at Sam, but it appeared he didn't know about this either. "Wait, where are you going?" he asked.

"Washington. I've got a case."

Sam responded, "You want me to come with?"

Dean looked almost awkward when he said, "You wanna come?"

"On a hunt?" Sam said, "Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know…" Dean looked like he wanted to say more, but didn't.

The tension appeared in the room so you spoke up quickly, "Can I come too?"

Both Winchesters looked at you with surprise. "I mean, if that's alright with you guys… I can't find anything on this shifter and going through all these papers is getting me nowhere. I think I'm getting cabin fever and I really wanna go on a hunt again."

They still stared at you when finally Dean sighed, set down the bag, walked towards you and Sam and said, "Alright, here." He pulled out a picture before continuing, "This was found at the crime scene. Her name's Casey Miles. The doors were locked and she was the only one in the house."

The picture was a selfie of a pretty girl, but in the shadows behind her was a tall man without a face, wearing all black. You shivered at the image and wrapped your arms around yourself.

"Woah," you said.

"Yeah, woah," Dean said glancing at you. He looked at the two of you before asking, "So you're coming?"

Sam glanced at you and you both started cleaning up your research station. "Does it look like we're staying?"

 **XXXX**

You were seated in the back of the impala again listening to the Rolling Stones. Sam suddenly sat up straight and spoke, "How are we gonna sneak you into the crime scene?"

"What do you mean?" Dean said, "She's gonna be FBI, just like us."

Sam gave Dean a look and responded, "No way anyone would believe that. Have you ever heard of three agents working together? And no offence," he glanced at you, "you're pretty young to be an FBI agent."

You smiled at Sam, pulled out a badge and said, "Well, this here says I've been a forensic consultant to the FBI for two years now, so maybe we could work with that? And how old were you when you started impersonating FBI anyway?"

"That's a good point and the kid's got skills, Sam. That badge looks nearly as good as ours," Dean grinned.

"It's better than yours old man."

Sam laughed in the front seat before the car lapsed back into silence and Mick Jagger was crooning away again.

 **XXXX**

Your badge successfully granted you access to the crime scene and that's how you ended up crouched over a dried bloodstain, pretending to take a sample. Sam talked to Casey's mom while Dean discreetly walked around the room searching for EMF. Listening to Sam's soft, lulling voice, you zoned out and thought back to the day you and Castiel had spent in the bunker. It was such a good day and you had screwed it up by acting like an idiot, and now Castiel seemed to be avoiding the bunker… probably because of you.

You came back to reality when you heard Mrs. Miles mention "supernaturalists". You glanced at Sam and Dean and saw them share a look. The more she described them, the more exasperated Sam and Dean seemed to become. It wasn't long after that Dean rushed you out of the crime scene. He seemed angry and you walked across the front lawn. "What's going on? Do you know those 'supernaturalists' or something?"

Sam only said, "I wouldn't call them 'supernaturalists… more like dumbasses."

Neither one elaborated as they steered you toward the impala. You drove in silence for a couple minutes, but you were still confused. "Come on guys, what's—" Dean turned a sharp right into a diner's parking lot, and you had to hold onto the door handle in order to remain upright. He parked the impala with a screech and slammed his door shut in record time. Sam followed suit, and you were becoming frustrated. _What the hell was going on and why weren't these two monkeys answering your questions?_

You scrambled out of the impala and chased after the Winchesters. You saw Dean stare at a white van and yell, "Son of a bitch!" before he disappeared into the diner. You hurried up and read the decal on the side of the van. _What the hell were the Ghostfacers?_

By the time you made it into the diner, Sam and Dean were already seated at a table with two other men. One had black hair while the other wore glasses and sported a ginger beard. You were definitely angry now. The Winchesters were being so damn cryptic and now they ditched you for some other guys? When you approached them, you heard Dean threatening them, but you were so fed up, you slammed your hands on the table and said, "What they hell is going on guys? And who are these two idiots?"

The four of them looked at you in surprise, but you only stared at Dean and gestured to the table, "Well?"

The man with the black hair responded instead though, saying "I'm Harry and this is Ed, we're paranormal investigators and we're not idiots, thanks."

You glared at him and he closed his mouth. You looked back at the Winchesters and Sam sighed, "These are the Ghostfacers, or what's left of them, at least. They claim to be paranormal investigators and we know them from a couple past cases, but they're amateurs."

The guy named Ed looked at you and said, "Can I ask who you are or are you just gonna rip my head off?"

Dean responded this time, and said, "This is Jayden Montgomery; she's a friend of ours."

Both the Ghostfacers looked at you expectantly, but you just rolled your eyes and went to the counter for a coffee. You sat down next to an old man in a heavy jacket and sighed. "Rough day?" he asked, turning towards you.

"And it's only the morning," you replied. The man said nothing back and you glanced at him. He froze and his eyes widened as if in recognition, but you were certain you'd never seen this man before. He turned away and threw a couple bills on the counter before hurrying out of the restaurant.

You sat there and wondered if everyone was crazy today while you listened to an employee fight with the diner's manager. Suddenly, Dean called at you from the doorway, "We're rolling out, Jayden."

 **XXXX**

You dumped all your stuff in your motel room and thundered into the Winchesters'. When you walked in, Sam and Dean were crouched in front of a computer looking at a picture of the faceless man from the crime scene photo.

"What is that?" you asked, setting your own computer down opposite Sam's.

"Turns out Ed and Harry wrote a book about some mysterious figure named Thinman. Doesn't he look familiar?"

"That's the thing from the crime scene."

Sam sighed and said, "Yes, it is."

"Yeah, but those idiots can't actually be right," Dean said, "Thinman doesn't exist, they probably made it up."

"I don't know Dean, this seems like it could be true."

"Because everything started on the internet is true. Like the shark attacking the helicopter. All I'm saying is those douche wheels ain't experts on crap."

You left Sam and Dean to argue about the existence of Thinman while you booted up your own computer to take a look at this book.

A couple hours later and research was going nowhere. You were tired of Sam and Dean fighting about Thinman and finally suggested, "Why don't we go to the police station and take a look at the evidence?"

 **XXXX**

When you got to the station, you asked an officer Norwood at the front desk for everything they had on the case. He said something about thanking you for the help, but you were too distracted to acknowledge it once you saw the evidence. "Was this cracked when you found it?" you asked, holding up the girl's phone.

"Yep. Maybe she dropped it or something, her phone call cut out 11:59."

You looked at Sam as he said, "She posted a photo at two in the morning."

"That doesn't make sense," replied.

Norwood looked at all of you before he chimed in, saying, "Sounds pretty… supernatural."

Dean and Sam shared a look. You had a bad feeling about this when Sam asked, "Why do you say that?"

"Two guys came in here this morning asking about this case. They talked about ghosts and what not and gave me a book about… where'd I put that?" he said as he started shuffling papers around on the desk.

"Thinman?" Dean asked. Norwood shook his head enthusiastically and held up Ed and Harry's book. You glanced at Sam as Dean rolled his eyes and walked out of the station without a word.

 **XXXX**

The next morning, a call came in about another murder. You, Sam and Dean had just entered the diner you met the Ghostfacers in yesterday when you saw them again. Dean scoffed and marched over to them while officer Norwood greeted you and Sam.

You could hear Dean arguing with Ed and Harry as you and Sam watched the tapes. Norwood showed video of the parking lot where Thinman stood at one moment, then cut to the camera facing the counter. The time difference was only a couple seconds and then Thinman stood behind the counter, slashing the angry manager form yesterday. _He could teleport now?_ For some reason, this made you think of Castiel and his limited grace. You hoped he was okay.

You heard Dean threaten the Ghostfacers, but their protests turned to silence as they shuffled over to watch the tapes too.

 **XXXX**

You, Sam and Dean sat down for burgers and more research. You were brainstorming possibilities of what kind of creature Thinman could be when Sam suddenly said, "Check it out, the video of Thinman knifing the diner manager is already online."

Dean looked mildly disgusted and responded with, "People are sick. They actually want to see that?"

Sam stared at the screen as he replied, "Apparently. When did viral go from a baby chimpanzee eating a banana to a man being murdered anyway?"

Dean scoffed and smiled, before starting with, "You know what would've went viral if we still had the video?" He told a story of a much younger Sam who jumped off the shed and broke his arm while dressed as Batman. You laughed when you heard it and were glad the boys seemed happy. Things seemed normal between them, but you knew they were still mad at each other for something.

There was a pregnant silence when the brothers were done talking and you felt out of place, as if you had just witnessed something private. Thankfully a knock sounded on the door and you went to open it. One of the ghostfacers, the one with the glasses and beard, walked right past you into the motel room.

"I've got to tell you something important… and then the case is yours." You, Sam and Dean looked at each other in surprise. You didn't know the Ghostfacers that well, but they seemed to be obsessed with the case and you were surprised that they'd give it up so willingly.

Ed sat down and startled rambling about the former members of the ghostfacers team.

Dean spoke first and said, "This all sounds like sad times at Bitchmont High, but what does this have to do with the case?"

"Harry wanted to leave, so I had to give him a reason to stay. I… I made up Thinman."

You shared a look of disbelief with the Winchesters as Ed went on explaining. "It was so awesome to have a following and Harry was just so into it."

"Look, I don't know you that well, but I know you have to tell him," you said.

He glanced at you and responded, "If I tell Harry, he's gonna leave the ghostfacers."

This time Sam spoke and said, "If you don't tell him, he's gonna leave anyway. Trust me here, secrets ruin relationships."

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Dean give him a meaningful look and wondered if this had anything to do with the tension between them.

"Okay, I'll tell him when the time is right," Ed said guiltily.

Dean spoke, "The time is right, now."

"…Well you see, he's not here right now. He's out in the woods searching for Thinman."

 **XXXX**

You arrived at the woods Ed had dropped Harry off in earlier and found Harry bleeding from his chest. Thankfully it wasn't too bad and Sam patched him up while you and Dean searched the area. You found tire tracks nearby and snapped a couple photos.

"Why'd you do that?" Harry asked.

Dean responded, "They could belong to whoever knifed you."

Harry looked indignant as he said, "It was Thinman jackass! I didn't think I'd have to tell you that."

The three of you looked pointedly at Ed who softly said, "Um Harry…"

 **XXXX**

You went back to the motel where you let Ed and Harry hash it out. Sam went to see if they were okay, when the officer Norwood called with a hit on the tire treads. "Hey Dean, these tires are only made for one type of car, and there's only one car like that in town. It belongs to a guy named Roger who works night security at a factory on the other side of town."

"Good work kid, I'll got get Sam."

 **XXXX**

The three of you arrived at the factory where Norwood was already waiting.

"I thought I told you we could handle this ourselves," you said.

Norwood was unapologetic as he said, "Yeah well, the sheriffs out of town and I'm the one with my ass on the line if anything goes wrong, you know?"

Dean just sighed and nodded, saying, "Alright, well let's go then."

Sam attempted to pick the lock when the door swung open. He looked back at you and shrugged before pocketing the lock pick and pulling out his gun. He disappeared inside and you made to follow him when you suddenly couldn't move. A pain you had never felt before ripped through your muscles. They started convulsing of their own accord and you made a strangled sound as your knees buckled and you hit the dirt. Dean whipped his head around and looked at you with concern before he convulsed and fell to the ground too. That was the last thing you saw before the world went black.


	7. The Death Toll Rises

No rights to Supernatural for me, they belong to the rightful owners.

Here is chapter seven, I hope you're enjoying the story so far!

 **XXXX**

You woke up cuffed to a chair, seated next to Sam and Dean. You sat there sluggishly while Dean yanked on his restraints. "So you're Thinman, huh?" he said to Norwood as he hummed to himself, turning on lights, adjusting a camera and setting up a back drop.

You were still groggy and confused as you watched Norwood flit around the factory. _You were tasered,_ you realized as you could feel electrical burns on your lower back.

He ignored the question and kept humming. "Sam, make him stop," Dean whined.

Sam shot Dean a look before he turned to the officer, "So what's the deal Norwood? Are you a demon or something? How'd you teleport back at the diner?"

Norwood narrowed his eyes before answering, "It was a team effort."

As he finished, Thinman walked out from the shadows dressed in a black coat. The three of you sat up straighter in shock. Thinman made it to the centre of the room before reaching behind his head and pulling off his face. _Not his face,_ you realized. Thinman had pulled off a mask. Underneath the faceless form of Thinman was a dark haired kid. You thought he looked familiar, but couldn't place him.

"So there was no teleporting," Dean began, "just two guys doing a Scream thing."

For some reason you thought of the strange old man from the diner the other day. Then you realized that this dark haired kid was an employee at the diner; the one you saw fighting with the manager! "Wait, I know who you are," you said, "You're the busboy from the diner."

Sam looked at you and nodded his head, "So what? You just wanted to kill your boss?"

The kid smiled and scoffed, "Trey was a dick."

"And what about Casey?" Dean piped up.

The kid smiled again and said, "She wouldn't go out with me, so I set her up with someone else: my knife."

The kid and Norwood snorted and laughed. They went on to explain how they brought Thinman to life. "He's the psycho," Norwood said, pointing at the kid you learned was Roger, "I'm the visionary."

As they complained about their pathetic lives you noticed the lock pick sticking out of Sam's pocket. You coughed to get Sam's attention. Dean looked at you, but you nodded at him to keep Norwood and Roger busy. You gestured to Sam and his eyes widened in realization. He grabbed the lock pick, trying his best to free himself.

Roger and Norwood complained about being invisible and Dean taunted them, "You realize that what you two jackasses are doing doesn't make you Thinman, it makes you copycat killers."

Roger smirked and crouched down into Dean's face. "It makes me Thinman. And you're not telling anyone I'm not because you'll be too dead to talk."

Chills ran down your back. Sure, these two were morons, but they were dangerous. Besides, it's not like you were in a position to defend yourself.

Suddenly Roger stood up behind Dean. He grabbed the mask and put it back over his face as Norwood ducked behind the camera. Your eyes widened and you shared a panicked look with Sam when Norwood yelled a _ction!_ You watched in horror as 'Thinman' grabbed Dean's hair, hauled his head back and brought a knife to his throat.

"NO!" you and Sam cried at the same time.

A crash from elsewhere in the factory caused Roger to pause. He and Norwood shared a look before they covered your mouths with duct tape and stalked off to find the source.

Sam finally freed himself from his cuffs and ripped the duct tape off his mouth. He started on your cuffs and asked, "What are we going to do about these two?"

Your hands were free and you pulled off the duct tape from your own mouth. "I don't know… we can't exactly call the authorities since that's supposed to be us."

Dean was free now too and rubbing his wrists. "We have to kill them."

"But they're just people Dean," Sam said.

"Yeah, but they're sick Sam. I mean who impersonates an internet monster and kills people? We have to stop them, and if we do it right, we could make it look like they offed each other."

Sam looked uncertain, but you were nodding your head. "I'm with Dean on this one… they already killed two people and they were prepared to kill the three of us. They need to be stopped."

Sam still looked uncertain, but you heard voices in the distance.

"Do you hear that?" Dean asked suddenly.

You nodded your head and listened to two very distinct voices. The only words you could make out were, "It's Scooby Doo time douchebag." You only knew two people who would talk like that: Ed and Harry.

"Of course." Sam let out a frustrated huff.

You heard them arguing about how to pronounce meme when suddenly it was silent. Footsteps were heading back your way and the three of you shared a look before hiding in the shadows.

You could hear Norwood talking again as they got closer to the room. He stopped abruptly when he happened upon three empty chairs and realized you and the Winchesters were gone.

Sam leapt out of the shadows first and grabbed Norwood. Roger tightened his grip on Harry and held the knife to his throat but Dean grabbed him and Harry escaped. You helped Ed up off the floor as Dean grabbed Roger's hand and made him stab himself. You saw as Roger's expression turned to one of shock before he slumped onto the ground, dead.

The five of you stood looking at each other when suddenly Norwood sat upright and pointed his gun at you. You had no time to react before Ed stepped in front of you saying, "No, no. This is all my fault. It's my fault."

Norwood just smiled and said, "I've got enough bullets for both of you."

You heard the blast and saw Norwood slump over onto the ground. Blood pooled underneath him, staining the floor as you all looked at Harry.

He stood there shaking, still pointing the gun when Dean patted him on the back and took it from him.

 **XXXX**

You stood by the passenger door of the impala while Dean loaded the trunk. Sam came over to talk to him and you hoped they would finally be able to relieve the tension and get whatever it was they needed, off their chests.

The brothers grew quiet and you turned your attention to them, but they were watching Ed and Harry. Whatever it was the ghostfacers were talking about, it seemed to resonate with the Winchesters.

You turned your attention towards them too and listened as Ed spoke, "You know, we made it right. This could be our shot to start the old Ghostfacers thing again."

Harry looked hurt as he responded, "I came here with you to finish this thing with Thinman. I wasn't just closing a chapter Ed, it was the whole dang book."

"But you saved my life back there."

"I killed a guy, Ed."

"He was a bad guy, Harry."

"He was a guy, Ed. Too many people have died because of your crap."

"I've done all this crap for us and I don't know why you don't see that."

"No… no, you did this for you. And there are a lot of things I can forgive, but this isn't one of them."

"So, what does this mean about us?"

"It means… it's _complicated_ ," Harry said as he turned away.

You didn't know the Ghostfacers that well, but they seemed as close as the Winchesters so you were surprised when Harry walked towards the impala and asked, "Can I get a ride from you guys?"

Dean replied, "Yeah, sure," and the four of you climbed into the impala and drove away leaving behind a dejected Ed.

It was quiet for a while before you asked, "Harry… you okay?"

He didn't look at you as he replied, "Yeah… I mean… no. You roll with a guy so many years, you start to think he's always gonna be next to you. Like, when you're old, drinking on the porch, he'll be in that other rocking chair. And then something happens and you realize that other chair is gone, empty. You know what I mean?"

Nobody responded, but Sam and Dean both looked deep in thought. You on the other hand, could barely relate to what Harry was saying. The only person you ever had to look out for was yourself; there was nobody to fill that other rocking chair. There wasn't even another rocking chair. Sure, you were friends with the Winchesters, but who knew what was going to happen once you found the shifter that killed your family… would they let you stay in the bunker? …Did you even want to stay in the bunker?

Your mind drifted to Castiel and you smiled to yourself as you thought of him counting monopoly money. Maybe you would stick around for a while afterwards.

 **XXXX**

A week had gone by since the Thinman case and things still seemed tense between the Winchesters. Sam was constantly in the library with you doing all kinds of research while Dean repeatedly called someone by the name of Crowley.

You didn't ask many questions though and the Winchesters didn't give you many answers. You focused on searching for your shifter and left them to their own business. However, you were frustrated as a week had gone by and you still hadn't made any progress.

You also hadn't seen Cas yet either, but you told yourself that it didn't bother you.

Sam and Dean were off following a lead while you were elbow deep in flour. You were stressed from the tension and all the dead ends on your shifter case, so you decided to distract yourself and do something nice for the Winchesters by baking peanut butter cookies. You were still mixing the batter when heard the bunker door open.

You picked up the batter and spoon, and walked out of the kitchen still stirring the mixture. You stopped suddenly when you saw Dean shoving a short, bearded man. He wore nice clothing and a pair of handcuffs circled both wrists.

You stared at the man and he stared at you. "Umm hi guys… who's this?" you asked, pointing to him.

"Jayden, this is the King of Hell… Crowley, this is Jayden," Dean said, shoving the supposed King of Hell extra hard.

"So the Winchesters have a new friend, I see," he said in a British accent as he looked you over. It seemed he deemed you insignificant as his gaze clashed with yours and he made a small sound of disapproval in the back of his throat.

You narrowed your eyes at him and said, "For the King of Hell and all, I thought you'd be taller and you know, a little more impressive."

"Ah, and you're just as charming as Moose and Squirrel here."

Dean gave Crowley another shove and said, "Come on douche, let's get you settled in."

He led him away to what you presumed to be the torture room. You turned to Sam then and asked, "What's the deal with him? Why'd you guys bring the King of Hell to the bunker?"

"It's a long story, but we've got some business to take care of."

You weren't sure you wanted to know all the details so you just shrugged your shoulders and made your way back to the kitchen. You set the batter down by the stove and went to turn on the TV. Some reporter was blathering on about something or other as you searched for the channel that played non-stop music.

You had just found the channel and were about to click on it when a familiar face flashed across the screen. The remote clattered to the floor, but you didn't hear it as a rushing noise filled your ears. Your field of vision narrowed so that all you could see was the face staring back at you. It was identical to yours, even down to that small scar above your left eyebrow.

You gasped and stumbled back a few steps, running into a solid somebody behind you.

"Jesus Christ!" you cried as you whirled around.

"No, I'm Castiel."

You would've been less surprised if it was the actual Jesus Christ rather than the rumpled Castiel that stood in front of you. Your brain couldn't process anything but your face on the TV. "I—what are you doing here?"

"What did you do?"

"I—what? I… I didn't do anything!"

"Then how do you explain that?" Castiel asked, gesturing to the TV behind you.

You turned back around and actually listened to the reporter, "the bodies of a family of three were found early this morning when a neighbour heard the dog barking from inside. When he went to check it out, he noticed the door was open and called the police. When police arrived on the scene they found the family slaughtered in their beds and a gruesome message printed on the wall in blood. _Remember me?_ it read. Based on DNA evidence found at the crime scene, the authorities have issued an APB on the only suspect, Jayden Montgomery. Montgomery murdered her own family seven years ago and had been in hiding ever since. Authorities are still speculating as to why she decided to strike again now…"

Castiel came to stand beside you as the reporter turned to a homeless man who supposedly saw the suspect fleeing the scene. He was an old man wearing a heavy coat and you made a startled noise as you recognized him. However, the last time you saw him he was throwing money on a counter and rushing out of a diner.

"What is it?" Cas asked, as you watched in horror. The man looked into the camera and smiled wolfishly while his eyes glinted bright silver.

He turned towards you and looked at you with concern. "Jayden, what is happening?"

You shook your head and tore your eyes away from the TV. Staring back at Castiel, you said, "That's… that's the shifter that killed my family."


	8. Agents Borden and O'Dell

I do not own Supernatural... you can check my pockets, they're empty except for some lint

Enjoy this next chapter and please leave a review, I love hearing comments!

 **XXXX**

Castiel looked confused before realization dawned on him and his eyes widened. "Oh," was all he said.

"That's him… that's the shifter. Oh my God," you spoke to yourself as you started pacing the kitchen. "I sat right beside him and I didn't even know it," you whispered, running your hands through your hair, "I even spoke to him. He was right there, and I didn't do anything."

Castiel stood there awkwardly and watched you with concern when Dean casually walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, do we have any nacho dip left from yester—" He stopped suddenly when he noticed the TV. It was still broadcasting a picture of your face as the reporter told the story of your own family's murder seven years ago. Dean's head swiveled between you and the TV in surprise. Cas cleared his throat and Dean noticed him for the first time. "Cas? What is going on?"

You were still muttering to yourself as you paced the kitchen while Cas explained, "It appears the shapeshifter that killed Jayden's family used her face to murder a family last night."

You ignored them still as Dean asked, "Okay… wait, what? What are you doing here Cas; I thought things were getting worse with the angels? And the shifter that killed her family, it's actually back?"

"Things are getting worse, but I heard about the murders and wanted to know what was going on. It's evident that you don't know though."

You finally stopped pacing and muttering and looked at the two of them. "That's the shifter that killed my family. He's taunting me. The whole _remember me?_ thing, that was for me. When we worked that Thinman case with those losers, the Ghostfacers, I sat beside him in the diner and talked to him."

Dean's jaw dropped in surprise and he shared a glance with Cas before saying, "…You sat beside him? How do you know it was him?"

You looked at Cas and answered, "That man that the reporter interviewed, was the man I sat beside. He was even wearing the same clothes."

"So?" Dean prompted.

"So… when I was at the diner he asked if I was having a rough day. I responded and he turned towards me, but never said anything. He seemed surprised to see me and threw money on the counter before rushing out. I thought it was weird behavior, but was a little distracted with all the murders and what not. Now some reporter just interviewed him about the suspect, and he seemed downright pleased to tell her about."

"So? He was probably just some sicko that was glad he got to be on TV."

"You can't tell me you didn't notice the eyes though."

"The eyes?" Dean attempted clarification.

"The man's eye flashed silver on camera, Dean," Cas responded.

"There's no way this was a coincidence. You don't just meet an old man in a diner who seems to recognize you and then watch him on TV reporting about a murder you supposedly committed. Besides, it doesn't matter about the man, the shifter was obviously there because I didn't drive down Oregon to murder a lovely family last night before coming back to spend breakfast with the Winchesters."

Dean looked somewhat unsure. "Okay, but what are the chances of you running into this shifter randomly? I mean… something just seems off and I don't want to see anything bad happen to you."

You huffed out a breath before saying, "I don't know Dean; chances are probably one in a million. But this is the only lead I've ever had on this case in seven years. That bastard killed my entire family and I'm going to check it out."

"…Okay, we'll go when things with Crowley are settled."

You raised your eyebrows and glared a Dean. He didn't flinch as you said, "I'm not waiting for you to finish your business with Crowley."

Dean glared back. "Yeah well, you can't go alone."

"Like hell, I can't. I've been on my own for seven years, I don't need you looking after me Dean."

Dean looked ready to fight, but suddenly Cas stepped in. "I'll go with her."

"I—you will?" Dean blurted out, "But… but what about everything with the angels?"

"Things are handled for right now, it'll be fine Dean." Cas looked uncomfortable as Dean stared at him and you wondered if he was lying.

Dean opened his mouth as if to respond, but closed it quickly. He and Cas stared at each other for a long time, having a heated conversation with only their eyes. Finally, Dean sighed and said, "…If you say so, Cas. Just go with her and make sure she's okay."

 **XXXX**

It was pouring rain as you and Cas made your way to Oregon. The windshield wipers flicked furiously back and forth and the angry music of Alice in Chains filled the car. You glanced at Cas staring out the window in the passenger seat and flicked off the music before saying, "You know I don't need a babysitter right? I can handle myself just fine."

Silence filled the car as Cas continued to stare out the window. He turned to you and pinned you in place with his gaze when he responded, "I'm not here to babysit you. Sam and Dean worry about you, and so do I. I'm here as your friend and I want to help."

He was firm and left no room for argument. You searched his deep blue eyes for the lie, but all you found was honesty. The unexpected response filled you with a comforting warmth but also shocked you into silence and it was a while before you collected your thoughts.

"… You think we're friends?"

"If I recall correctly, you were the one who said I tell funny jokes before also saying that you liked me," Cas stopped abruptly and you thought he was finished talking when he added, "The feeling is mutual Jayden."

You felt a blush rising to your cheeks and looked away before Cas noticed. "Thanks Cas, that actually means a lot." You were embarrassed when you remembered back to that night in the bunker, but were glad Cas thought of it fondly.

He didn't respond and you glanced back towards him, trying to gauge his reaction. He was staring at you in surprise and you panicked, blurting out, "What?"

"Well… it's nothing…" he took a deep breath before saying, "That was the first time I heard you say my real name."

You blushed again and wrenched your gaze back to the road. The car lapsed into silence again and you snuck a peek at Cas out of the corner of your eye. He had turned away now too and was staring out the window, deep in thought. The corners of his mouth were turned up in a small smile and you bit your bottom lip, trying to smother the grin that was threatening to overcome your face.

 **XXXX**

It was dark as you pulled into the truck stop and you were getting tired. You were trying your best to stifle a yawn was Cas suddenly asked, "How are you going to be able to investigate this murder if you're supposed to be the murderer? Won't people recognize you?"

"…I thought about that too, but that picture they've been using on the news is seven years old and besides, I also picked up this at our last pit stop." You rummaged in the back seat and dug through a plastic bag before finally holding up a box of French roast dark brown hair dye and a pair of scissors.

You stood in the truck stop bathroom, staring at yourself in the mirror and tugging on the ends of your hair. It was still wet from when you washed out the dye and clung to your face in matted waves. It just brushed your shoulders in choppy layers. The dark colour made your face seem even paler and the freckles scattered across your nose even more pronounced. It wasn't terrible, but you weren't exactly a hairdresser either. It didn't matter though, it was only hair, the dye would fade eventually and it would grow back. You tried not to feel self-conscious as you left the bathroom and made your way back to the impala.

Cas was already waiting for you in the driver's seat, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. "I can keep driving if you want," you offered.

Cas said nothing and just stared at you with an unreadable look on his face. _Your haircut wasn't that bad… was it?_ He remained silent and you began to panic, tugging on the ends. "What? What is it? Does my hair really look that bad?"

Cas shook his head slightly before responding, "No, no… it doesn't look bad at all… It just looks different… more different than I thought it would."

You felt silly being so self-conscious, but you couldn't help it. "You're sure it's okay?"

Cas nodded his head and said, "Yes, you still look beautiful."

His eyes widened as he realized what he said. He looked away quickly and you weren't sure in the dark, but you could've sworn you saw a light blush staining his cheeks. You smiled to yourself, but brought your focus back to the task at hand. "And I look different enough, that people won't recognize me?"

Cas continued to avoid your gaze as he answered, "Yes, I think so."

You couldn't help the grin that crossed your face as you watched the awkward angel. You weren't sure how long you were standing there when he suddenly let out a huff and said, "Are you going to get back in the car or not?"

You chuckled before saying, "Yeah, sorry I'm coming." You opened the door and fell into the passenger's seat still smiling as Cas started the car and left the truck stop.

 **XXXX**

It was still dark as Cas pulled up in front of the PI E BAY MOTEL. The N flickered as you exited the car, but remained out. You giggled to yourself as you thought of Dean and how much he'd love to stay at a pie motel before following Cas to the office.

The bell above the door chimed as Cas pulled it open and you cringed when you saw the dingy office. The wallpaper was peeling off the walls and you stared at a questionable stain behind the front desk as you put your hands on it. You immediately regretted that decision when you placed your right hand in some sticky, unknown substance. Cringing and trying to discreetly wipe your hand on your pants, you cleared your throat to gain the attention of the clerk.

He looked up from his computer and gave you and Cas a knowing look. "We have one deluxe love suite left."

Your eyes widened when you realized the clerk assumed you and Castiel were together. A blush rose to your cheeks and you subconsciously tugged on the ends of your hair as you said, "Oh, God no. We're… we're not together like that or anything."

"Hey, it's okay, I don't judge."

"Umm no," you spluttered, "We're… we're not together. Do you have anything else available? …Maybe two separate rooms?" _Who the hell did this clerk think he was?_

Cas was mysteriously silent throughout the exchange and you glanced back at him, but his brow was furrowed in deep thought. Turning back around you focused on the clerk who shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Well alright, rooms eight and nine are yours I guess. I'm just going to need your credit card."

You sorted everything out with the clerk and grabbed the keys before heaving your bag over your shoulder to the door of room nine. Cas trailed behind you, still silent. You stopped and tossed the key to room eight at him. "Hey, angel brain, catch!" you joked, trying to relax him.

Cas remained serious though as he swiped the key out of the air.

You furrowed your brow. "Everything okay there, Cas?"

He barely looked at you as he jammed the key in the lock and opened the door. "Yes, it's fine. Goodnight Jayden."

The door closed with a soft thud and you were left puzzled, standing in the dark alone. "…Goodnight Cas," you said to the empty motel parking lot.

 **XXXX**

The next morning, you were standing next to the coffee vending machine outside your motel room. You picked up the paper cup and brought it to your nose, inhaling the scent of a shitty dark roast. You knew it was going to be terrible, but any caffeine was good caffeine at this early in the morning. Suddenly, Cas appeared in front of you, causing you to jump.

"Holy shit!" you cried as you dumped the coffee down the front of your pressed white shirt. You clenched your teeth together and sucked in a breath to keep from crying out. You grabbed the offending material and tried to hold it away from your skin. "Ouch. Shit, that burns! And it's gonna stain too, dammit!" You blew the hair out of your eyes and tried to fan the front of your shirt. Cas placed his hands on yours and suddenly the stain was gone. Your shirt was pristine and there were fewer wrinkles in it than when you had put it on earlier that morning.

You looked up into his face and sheepishly said, "I don't think I'm ever going to get used to that. Thanks for removing the stain." You smiled at him and he nodded. He didn't say anything but his eyes were warm and sparkling. Whatever was bothering him last night didn't seem to be a problem any longer and you breathed a small sigh of relief.

"I am sorry for startling you Jayden," he said.

"It's alright, let's just go check out this crime scene and see what we can find."

 **XXXX**

Pulling up in front of the crime scene actually made you feel a little nervous. You tugged on the ends of your new hair and wondered: _Was dyeing your hair going to be enough? These people were going to take one look at you and realize you're they suspect they're looking for._ You got out of the car but nearly turned around when you saw a female officer exit the house and walk towards you. Cas gave you look as if he knew what you were thinking and placed a firm hand on your arm.

"Morning," the officer called cheerfully, "I was wondering when you guys were going to show up."

 _You could do this._ You nodded your head and straightened your spine before saying, "I'm agent Borden, and this is my partner agent O'Dell." You and Cas held up your badges, but she just waved her hands and started walking back towards the house. She gestured over her shoulder for you to follow her.

"Can you believe this? Well, I'm sure you guys can, what with being feds and all… who knows what you guys see on a regular basis? But some teenage runaway who murdered her own family suddenly decides to kill in our sleepy little town seven years later? Some things just don't make sense to me."

"Uh-huh," you nodded distractedly. _Geez, this lady was chatty._ She continued to guide you through the house and up the stairs. A sense of trepidation was growing in your stomach but you remained stoic.

She stopped a couple doors down and gestured inside. "This was the daughter's bedroom."

"And this is where she was killed?" you asked.

"Yep, she was the first victim. Afterward, the suspect moved down the hall to the parents' bedroom where she gutted them."

"And the murder weapon?"

"From what the coroner could tell, it was a serrated knife. Probably some kind of hunting knife he said."

You nodded your head remembering the knife the shifter plunged into your mother and took a couple steps into the room. "Mind if I stay here and look around a second?" you asked.

"Sure thing, I'll take your partner here down the hall to the parents' room." She clapped Cas on the shoulder and he looked a little affronted, but followed her out the door.

You stood there and stared at the room. The bed was empty and the sheets were pulled back revealing a large, dark stain on the sheets. Blood had dripped onto the floor in a random smatter and you suddenly had a flash of your brothers' bedroom floor. Isaiah's hand had hung off the bed and a ribbon of blood ran down creating a similar pattern. You bit down on your tongue to keep from crying out as you remembered your sweet little brother's face that night. He was so pale, but looked so peaceful as if he could have been sleeping instead.

Thinking of Isaiah caused you to remember Jace and you stood in the middle of the room unable to move as a wave of pain crashed into you. Working this case was unexpectedly hard. Of course you were excited to catch this shifter and get your revenge, you just hadn't realized the toll it would take… and all the memories you would have to relive. You weren't sure how long you had stood there when Castiel was suddenly in front of you holding both of your arms in a strong grip and ducking his head to look into your face.

His brow was furrowed with concern as he looked into your eyes. "Jayden?" he questioned. You had the uncanny feeling he could tell exactly what you were thinking about and couldn't bear to look at him. You glanced away quickly and avoided his gaze, staring instead at a spot over his shoulder. You didn't want him to see you so vulnerable. Your breath caught when you noticed an old photograph stuck to the mirror of the girl's vanity.

"Jayden? What is it?" Castiel asked again.

You shook his hands off and walked towards the photo. "I knew these people," you said, pointing at the picture of a little girl and her parents, "These were my neighbours when I lived in Indiana; Bob and Ellen and their daughter Samantha. The shifter ran through their backyard and was caught on the cameras that night."

 _What the hell did this mean? Was the shifter targeting people you knew now? It's trying to taunt me,_ you realized.

Cas looked confused and opened his mouth to speak, but didn't get the chance when the lady officer stuck her head in the room. "You guys probably want to see the message this girl left, right?"

You nodded and replied, "Yes, absolutely."

Cas shot you a look as if to say he wasn't done talking to you, but you avoided his gaze again. You slipped back into your professional role and followed the officer down the stairs to the kitchen.

A bloody knife sat in a pool of blood on the counter. Written across the opposite wall were the words R _emember me?_ The blood had run down the wall before drying and the last couple letters were shaky, but still, it was obvious what the message said. _Of course I remember you, you douche._

"Wanna know the weird thing though? Our lab experts took a sample of the blood to see which member of the family she drained to write this, but it was none of them. It turns out the girl cut herself and used her own blood to write the message… except she would have lost a lot of blood. A lab technician explicitly said that she shouldn't have been able to walk out of here. It's weird though right? It's like she wanted us to know it was her."

You and Cas locked eyes and shared a long, hard look.


	9. Bad Dreams

I do not own Supernatural... and that's probably a good thing. Seems like too much power for just one girl.

I know it's been a long time, but it's march break now and I'm uploading two chapters tonight! Enjoy!

 **XXXX**

"Mr. Whitshire? We're agents Borden and O'Dell. We're here to talk to you about your neighbours, Bob and Ellen Price and their daughter Samantha. You were the one that found them and alerted the authorities, correct?"

The grey haired man stood in the doorway, staring at you and Cas with a mix of sadness and wariness. He readjusted his glasses and inspected your badges with narrowed eyes before sighing and opening the door wider, gesturing for you to come in.

"Yes, that's me. You can call me Jeff though. I found them yesterday morning when I went out to get the paper." You followed him down a short hallway and into the kitchen where he gestured toward two bar stools. Cas looked at you questioningly, but you just nodded your head before taking your own seat. Mr. Whitshire busied himself with the coffee maker before asking. "Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?"

You thought back to the coffee you spilled on your shirt earlier that morning and said, "Actually, a coffee would be wonderful. One cream and sugar please."

You smiled at him as he placed a mug in front of you. You inhaled deeply and closed your eyes in caffeinated bliss. _Now this is real coffee._

Cas cleared his throat loudly, startling you from your coffee induced daydream. Your eyes sprang open and met his which were scolding. You rolled your eyes at him and quickly brought your attention back to Mr. Whitshire, saying, "Can you tell us everything that happened that morning, starting from the moment you went to get the paper?"

"Yes, of course," he nodded, "I went out the get the paper like I do every morning when I heard their dog, Ringo, barking. He was such a nice dog though, I'd never heard him bark like that, but that morning he was so loud and inconsolable." He paused and swallowed, before continuing, "So, I went over to check and see if everything was okay, but when I knocked on the door it swung right open. I stuck my head in and called to Bob and Ellen, but the only thing I could hear was Ringo."

He paused again and you took the opportunity to take a drink of your coffee. "And then…" you prompted.

Mr. Whitshire took a deep breath before continuing, "I followed the sound of Ringo's barking upstairs where I immediately sensed something was wrong. The house was too still, you know, all I could hear was the barking and the air had this really faint metallic scent to it which I now realize was blood," he paused again and paled.

You nodded at him sympathetically, urging him to go on and a moment later, he continued, "Anyway, I walked down the hall to Bob and Ellen's room. The door was half open and that was when I saw Ellen lying on the bed, covered in blood while Bob was slumped on the ground. Oh my God, it was awful. I thought I was gonna be sick and I must have gasped or gagged or something because all of a sudden Ringo was bounding over the bed towards me… except he wasn't normal. This was the sweetest dog I had ever met and suddenly he was baring his teeth at me and trying to take a bite out of my arm," he said, pointing to a row of stitches near his elbow, "So I tried my best to shake him off and closed the door, locking him in. I couldn't bring myself to check on Sam, so I just called the authorities and waited outside the house."

"I'm so sorry Mr. Whitshire, that must've been difficult."

"Thank you, but I insist you call me Jeff."

You took another long drink of coffee as Cas spoke suddenly and said, "We just have a couple more questions for you Jeff."

Mr. Whitshire nodded and pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket to clean his glasses. You watched Cas as he asked, "How long have the Prices lived here?"

"I think it's probably been six and a half years that they've lived here now."

"And do you know why the moved?"

"Well, I'd heard rumors about what happened in their last neighbourhood. And after this, I'm starting to think they might be true. Apparently, their next door neighbour's daughter murdered her own family and they just couldn't bear to live there after knowing what happened in the house next to him."

You sensed that this man had questions of his own and said, "We have reason to believe these events are connected. Their old neighbour, Jayden Montgomery, is the main suspect in their murders."

He looked dejected, but replied, "I kind of figured. I mean, I've been watching the news and that girl is plastered everywhere."

You squirmed a little in your seat and drank the last of your coffee quickly. "We just have one last question for you. A reporter interviewed this man who claims to be a witness," you pulled a photo of the man from the diner from your pocket, "Did you see him that morning at all?"

He took the photo from you and stared at it for a moment. You tugged on the ends of your hair and glanced at Cas as Mr. Whitshire said, "Nope."

Cas spoke, "Do you recognize him at all? Do you know where we could find him?"

He pushed the photo back towards you across the counter and said, "I'm sorry. I don't know who this man is. I've never seen him before, he's definitely not a local."

You smiled sadly at Mr. Whitshire as you pocketed the picture and stood up. "Thank you for your cooperation and the coffee, Jeff. We're sorry this had to happen."

 **XXXX**

You thanked the officer at the desk and left the station. You could see Cas through the windshield and shook your head at him. Opening the door, you sat down, looked at Cas and said, "They got a statement from the man and he claimed his name was Fred Higgins, but when I asked for an address and phone number, the officer shook his head. Apparently, there was a mistake in the filing or something so all his personal papers were lost. Quite the coincidence, huh?"

"I don't think it's a real coincidence, Jayden."

You squeezed your eyes shut and breathed in deeply before saying, "I nearly forgot how literal you can be." You looked at Cas, but he just stared blankly back at you. "I know it's not a coincidence, Cas. I'm not even surprised to be honest. That'd be way too easy. There was no way this shifter just showed up the kill someone from my past and leave any leads behind. Who know though? Maybe he'll slip up and we can kill the son of a bitch."

Cas looked sorry for you. You hated seeing people look at you like that, especially him. You had already shared too much about your past and were nervous about bringing him on this case. He opened his mouth to say something, but you cut him off quickly. "Let's just go back to the motel and regroup."

He closed his mouth and just nodded his head before turning the key in the ignition and rumbling out of the police station parking lot.

 **XXXX**

You tugged on the ends of your hair and rubbed your tired eyes. You and Cas had gone back to the motel to do some research and see if you could find anything pertaining to the mysterious Fred Higgins. You stifled a yawn before saying, "I've found absolutely nothing. The only local Fred Higgins I found was caught in some pumpkin growing contest scandal two counties over… I didn't know pumpkin growing contests could have scandals…"

You glanced at Cas but he was distracted, pacing the room with eyes downcast. He seemed to be whispering quietly but you couldn't make out the words.

You cleared your throat and tried again, "Hey, Cas."

His head shot straight up and he stopped pacing. His eyes met yours and he looked slightly sheepish when he said, "Forgive me Jayden. What did you say?"

You sighed. "I knew it was gonna be a long shot, but I don't think our Fred Higgins is a local. We're gonna have to expand our search. Who am I kidding, he probably doesn't even exist…" you sighed again and said, "Are you alright though Cas? If you want to check on things or something, I'm fine here for a couple hours."

He nodded his head curtly and said, "I'll be back in two hours." One moment he was standing there, the next he was gone. A chill went down your spine at the suddenness of it all. You weren't sure you'd ever get used to that.

You shook your head and cracked your knuckles before hunkering down in front of your computer again. You surfed through what seemed like millions of Fred Higgins, but couldn't find anything. Your eyes were tired and itchy and you could feel the early morning catching up to you. You were looking at a Fred Higgins who retired in Florida last month before being eaten by an alligator when your eyes started to droop shut.

You shook your head and refocused your attention before trying a new search tactic. _This was useless,_ you though, _this damn shifter isn't going to go around murdering people as Fred Higgins and he definitely wasn't going to play witness with the same alias he murders people with._ Still, you waded through another couple Fred Higgins before your eyes closed again. Your head dropped forward and you startled upright in your chair.

You yawned and tried your best to focus on the computer screen in front of you, but it was no use. Your eyes closed only moments later and this time they stayed closed.

 **XxXxX**

You were in the middle of a pumpkin patch, standing in front of the largest pumpkin you had ever seen. A man with an alligator on a leash was fertilizing the gigantic pumpkin and you sat down in the grass to watch.

He placed mulch around the base of the pumpkin plant and watered it while humming to himself. It was a relaxing tune and you thought you had heard it before but couldn't quite place it. You strained your mind to remember, but it was no use. You gave up and lay back in the grass, listening. The sun was warm on your skin and a small breeze caught stray strands of your hair. You felt content and let out a deep breath.

The sky suddenly darkened and a great gust of wind chilled you. You sat up in the pumpkin patch, but the humming stopped and the man was gone. The alligator was still there though, freed from his leash and advancing towards you. You scrambled back as it got closer and opened its long jaw.

Your eyes widened at the millions of teeth that seemed to fill its mouth. You made it onto your feet, turned around and ran. You could hear the alligator's tail thumping against the ground behind you and ran faster. You saw a house in the distance and made a break for it. You had nearly reached the back porch when you glanced over your shoulder and noticed the alligator was gone.

You slowed to a walk, trying to catch your breath, but were still nervous the alligator was somewhere in the long grass. You jogged up the porch steps and quietly opened the door.

You were about to call out when your breath caught in your throat and you recognized the house. This was your house. The last real place you had called home… before your family was killed. Your stomach filled with dread and you tried calling out again, "Hello?" Your voice cracked and you cleared your throat before trying again, "Is there anybody there?"

A scream cut through the house and you took off for the stairs. You heard your youngest brother, Jace's voice as he screamed again. You ran faster that you ever thought you could and nearly tripped up the stairs. "Jayden?! Jayden, you have to help me!"

Tears began to fill your eyes when you heard the pure terror in your baby brother's voice. "Jace! Jace, I'm coming buddy, just hold on!"

You flung open your brothers' bedroom door and choked back a sob when you saw the carnage. Isaiah lay in his bed, blood running down his arm and onto the floor. His face was white and his normally fluffy hair was matted down with blood. You knew it was too late to help him, that he was already gone and turned towards Jace's bed.

Tears streamed down your face without your realization as you saw his sweet little boy face speckled with blood. He'd been completely gutted and his face was frozen in the last horrifying moments of his existence. You fell to your knees beside his bed and grabbed his tiny hand. "Jace! Jace, I'm so sorry. I couldn't make it, I couldn't save you!" you sobbed.

You buried your face in the sheets and cried. Your brothers meant the most to you in this world and they were both gone. Your agonized scream was muffled by the sheets and you sobbed harder. You looked back up into Jace's face and could feel your heart break. _You should've been there. You could've saved him; you should've never left the house that night._ These thoughts haunted your mind everyday no matter how hard you tried to block them out.

Tears still streamed down your face when you heard a creak behind you. You whipped around and saw yourself standing in the doorway. The you in the doorway was slick with blood and held a huge, jagged knife in one hand. The eyes flashed silver for just a moment before they sprang at you.

"Jayden?"

You wrenched your eyes open and sprang up in your chair. You were in the motel room, staring at a black computer screen.

"Jayden?" Cas cleared his throat awkwardly from the middle of the room and you glanced at him. "Are you… are you okay?"

"I—what? Yes, yeah… why wouldn't I be?" You didn't even sound convincing to your own ears, but were too distracted to care. All you could think about was your brothers' empty eyes staring at you. You shivered and wrapped your arms around yourself as you tried to slow your racing heart.

Cas looked uncomfortable but continued. "You're crying," he stated quietly.

You rubbed your hands under your eyes, surprised to find your cheeks wet. "It was nothing. Just a bad dream is all; it's nothing to worry about. I'm… I'm fine." You patted dry the last of your tears and self-consciously tugged on the ends of your hair. The room was beginning to suffocate under a blanket of awkwardness.

"I see." Cas wasn't convinced at all and you knew it. He tilted his head to the side and stared at you with narrowed eyes. He assessed you for several minutes and you squirmed under his piercing gaze. Finally not able to take it any longer, you blurted out, "Is everything okay with you?"

He looked even more confused as he asked, "Pardon?"

"I mean whatever you checked on... is it alright? You were gone for two hours after all."

He continued to stare at you and stoically replied, "It's nothing to worry about."

"Uh-huh," you answered absently. You couldn't focus on the conversation because every time you blinked blood stained the inside of your eyelids.

The room was silent for a long moment as you tried to collect yourself. Cas continued to stare at you.

You stood up abruptly and Cas took a step back, startled. "You know what, I'm actually really tired. I think I'm gonna hit the hay for tonight."

You walked to the door and wrenched it open. Glancing over your shoulder, you saw that Cas was still watching you. "Goodnight Feathers," you called as you shut the door with a thud.

You walked the couple feet back to your own motel room, opened the door and entered it. Sitting on the edge of the bed with your arms wrapped around yourself you thought about what just happened. _What the hell was that? You hadn't dreamed about that night in years._ A few stray tears escaped as you realized that finding this shifter was going to be a lot harder than you realized. And not just because you couldn't catch a solid lead, but because you were reminded of your family every waking moment… and sleeping apparently.

 _It hasn't even been one day,_ you chastised yourself, _and you already feel this hopeless and weak._

"You're better than this," you whispered to yourself, needing to hear the words aloud. You steeled your resolve, pushing the memories of your brothers deep into your mind, away from your consciousness. You sat on the bed and told yourself that you were strong and capable… that this shifter wasn't going to beat you.


	10. The Siren's Song

Still don't own Supernatural, but I am super excited to hear it's been renewed for season 12!

 **XXXX**

That night you slept in fits. You fell asleep uneasily and dreamt of shapeshifters and murder. Your brothers' faces haunted you while the shifter laughed. You tossed and turned, waking up tangled in the motel sheets, covered in sweat. You could feel tear tracks streamed down your face and wiped them away, looking at the clock. It was 4:30 in the morning but you knew you weren't going to be able to fall asleep again.

Sighing, you got out of bed and took a shower. It was still dark outside as you waited for the coffee vending machine to pour out the black sludge that supposedly passed for coffee. It was awful coffee, but had enough caffeine to wake you up and clear the nightmares that swirled around your consciousness.

You retreated back into your room and booted up your computer. Staring at the blank screen, you sat there at a standstill. You weren't sure where to go from here. You had virtually no leads. You only knew that the shifter wanted to taunt you… maybe he was going to search out everyone from your past? After all, the shifter had access to your memories. You thought of your Nana, but wasn't sure what to do.

Should you call her and warn her about the shifter? She probably wouldn't believe you and knowing her, she'd think you were trying to threaten her and call the cops instead… maybe that could work though? Would they believe her though? They'd probably just think she was some old kook. Maybe you could get someone to watch her house? Maybe you could watch it yourself? If the shifter is targeting people you know, you could head him off and kill him before he has the chance to murder someone else.

None of these plans satisfied you though and you sighed, tugging on the ends of your hair in frustration. To be honest, you weren't even sure if your Nana was still alive.

Suddenly, your cell phone began to ring.

"Agent Borden," you said, answering the call.

You listened as the operator rattled off details of another murder that happened late last night and nodded your head. "I'll be there if fifteen minutes," you said before hanging up.

You threw a blazer on over a dark purple camisole and slipped on a pencil skirt. You slipped your heels on as you walked out the door. You were anxious to see this crime scene even though the officer said they already had a local male suspect in custody. He confessed to the crime and called the authorities himself, but you still held out hope that the shifter was involved somehow.

You knocked on Cas' door and called his name. There was no answer. You couldn't even hear any movement from within.

You knocked again, harder this time and said, "Come on Cas, there's been anther murder. We have to check it out."

Still there was no answer. _Where the hell is this damn angel?_ You knocked one more time even though you knew by this point he wasn't in there. Huffing out a breath, you stormed away from the motel towards the car. You got in and pulled out of the motel parking lot. There was no way you were waiting for him. This was too important and that thin strand of hope made you eager; you wanted to see this crime scene right away and this supposed suspect.

 **XXXX**

You were belting out AC/DC when another body suddenly appeared in the seat next to you. You stopped singing and instead cried out, "Shit!" You heart stuttered in your chest but Cas just stared back at you, stoic as ever.

"I hate it when you do that! And where the hell have you been? I knocked on your door for five minutes this morning!"

"There was something I needed to take care of."

Something was off and you stared at him with narrowed eyes. He didn't meet your gaze and instead tugged on his collar, loosening his tie. Still, he made no move to say anything more and you sighed, bringing your attention back to the road.

"Hold up there, Mr. Cryptic. You're gonna have to fix that tie before we make it to this next crime scene."

This time Cas did glance at you. "There has been another murder?"

"Yep. They've got a man in custody who confessed to the entire thing. Apparently, he killed his own girlfriend and felt so bad about it that he turned himself in."

You could feel Cas scrutinizing you before he said, "This doesn't sound like it has anything to do with the shifter that killed your family."

You let out a sigh, deflating when you heard your worries voiced aloud. The thin strand of hope seemed to snap in half. "I know," you started, "I have to check it out though. And besides, if it's not the shifter then it looks like we have another case."

You glanced at Cas, noticing the still crooked collar and said, "You really oughta fix that collar, Feathers, we're nearly there."

Cas finally did as he was told, straightening and tightening his tie before the car lapsed into silence.

 **XXXX**

You pulled up in front of a small bungalow and got out of the car. Police officers were bustling around the house and you watched as a man wearing a coroner's jacket wheeled a body out under a white sheet. You nodded at him as you passed and entered the foyer of the kitchen where an officer stood.

"Agent Borden?" he asked, shaking your hand. You nodded and he continued, "We spoke on the phone. I'm officer Munroe."

"Good to meet you. This is my partner Agent O'Dell," you said, gesturing to Cas. You glanced around the room and paused when you saw the blood stain on the floor. "What happened here?"

"Christopher Marshall killed his girlfriend after she told him her parents were staying with them for the weekend. He used a pair of scissors to stab her repeatedly, then called it in and confessed to the entire thing. He didn't say much when we brought him in, but he's in custody if you want to talk to him."

"I know people don't like their in-laws but this seems pretty extreme. You're sure he's the one who did it?" You were still holding out hope that your shifter had a part in this, but the more you understood what happened, the less likely it seemed.

"He confessed to the entire thing and forensics confirmed his prints are the only ones on the scissors."

"Well alright, thanks," you said, walking around the room. You surveyed the kitchen, glancing at the bloody scissors on the counter and the blood stain on the floor as officer Munroe left the kitchen. You looked up at Cas and said, "Well, what do you think? Could this be our shifter, or is this totally unrelated?"

"I think this is something completely different, however still worth looking into."

Your stomach sank to the floor as you realized you agreed with Cas. You wanted this to be the shifter so bad, but it just didn't fit. You didn't know these people, and the shifter hadn't used your face. Besides, this shifter wasn't just gonna turn himself. You sighed as you looked at Cas again and said, "Let's go find this Christopher Marshall, I think we need to have a chat with him."

 **XXXX**

You and Cas sat across from a skinny tattooed man. This was Christopher Marshall and so far you weren't impressed. His hair was thin but long and the scruff on his face was spotty. He kept scratching an itch on his arm, leaving angry red marks and you wondered if maybe he was looking for a fix. He stared at his handcuffed wrists and looked utterly destroyed. You were starting to wonder if maybe this didn't even have anything to do with any monsters.

"Alright, you have to tell us everything that happened last night. Start from the beginning."

He continued to stare at his wrists as he let out a deep breath. "I came home late last night and Kelly was still up waiting for me in the kitchen. I was so angry last night and she just kept talking. Then she decided to tell me that her parents are coming up for the weekend without even discussing it with me. I don't know, I was so angry that I just… I just lashed out. I loved her so much though."

A silent tear streaked down his face and you cleared your throat. "Uh-huh," you said, not entirely convinced by his story. A man who supposedly loved his girlfriend couldn't kill her in cold blood.

His gaze shot to yours and he stared you in the eye as he said, "I _did_ love her. You don't believe me because of what I look like, but she meant everything to me."

You were shocked into silence and looked at Cas as the man in front of you broke into sobs. Cas raised his eyebrows at you but remained silent. You couldn't read the look on his face, but you had a feeling he knew something he wasn't saying. He turned back to the man suddenly and asked, "Why were you working late Mr. Marshall?"

Marshall tried to collect himself and sniffled before answering, "A shipment came in late and I stayed to unload it."

"Did anyone stay with you?"

Marshall began to squirm in his seat. He itched his arm again, drawing blood and you glanced at Cas. He was trying to get at something, but you weren't sure. Marshall swallowed before speaking quietly, "Sarah stayed with me. She just started last week so she gets all the crappy shifts. She stayed to help me unload the shipment."

Cas' face hardened as he stared at Marshall. "That shipment came at six o'clock. Why did it take you three hours to unload it?"

Marshall broke down in sobs once again and you looked at Cas. He wouldn't look at you though, he was so focused on Marshall who spoke through his tears, "Fine! Fine! Sarah and I… Sarah and I… I didn't mean for it to happen. I loved Kelly so much, but Sarah was perfect. She listened to me and just understood me. I don't know, I loved her too. She said… she said that if Kelly were gone… she and I, we'd be together forever." He dissolved into tears again and rested his head on his arms.

Cas was silent and you realized he was waiting for you to say something. You cleared your throat before you spoke, "Okay Mr. Marshall, we'll contact you if we need anything else."

Your chair scraped on the floor as you stood up, but Marshall continued to sob. When you and Cas exited the room, you turned to him. "How did you know he was keeping that from us?"

"All angels can read minds."

You balked at that and blurted out, "Wait, what? They can? You can? Have you been reading my mind this whole time?" You cringed as you thought of the things he would know. Did he know what you thought about him… and what about your family? You didn't tell anyone about them, and you weren't about to. Nobody knew how much that really impacted you. Nobody knew how weak you really were.

Cas looked uncomfortable and the corners of his mouth turned down. He tugged on his collar and answered, "I try not to. Dean and Sam told me they didn't like it when I did it to them, so I've done my best to keep from reading yours." He mumbled something else, but you didn't quite catch it.

"What was that?"

He took a deep breath, but looked away, over your shoulder as he said, "Sometimes, it's extremely difficult though."

 _That bastard_. _Had he really read your thoughts? Were your own private thoughts not really private anymore?_ You pressed your mouth into a thin line and stepped closer to him. "What do you know?" you whispered through clenched teeth.

"Jayden, listen… about your family-"

Your cheeks heated in a combination of embarrassment and anger, and you refused to back away. "No. Don't you dare mention them. That is none of your business. After we're done this case, I don't want to see you. Understand?"

You never talked about your family to anyone. Ever. You couldn't even face your own thoughts when it came to them. You partially blamed yourself, and because of that, their faces haunted your every waking moment. You never wanted anybody to know these things, they were own private thoughts.

You stared into Cas' pleading eyes. His right hand gently held your arm just below your elbow and he sounded desperate as he began "Jayden, I—"

You wrenched your arm free and gave him a small shove. "No, Cas. We're done here. I'm going back to the motel."

You turned away and got into the car, slamming the door shut. You backed out of the parking lot and drove away. A few stray tears streaked down your face as you stared at the angel in the rearview mirror.

 **XXXX**

You didn't see Cas for the rest of the day or the next. You weren't sure what he was up to, although you did hear him come back to the motel last night. You also heard him leave again a couple hours ago, but couldn't bring yourself to talk to him. You were still too mad.

Honestly, you just wanted to go back to the bunker. You were tired of this case and felt like you were wasting your time. Except you didn't even have a lead for your shifter. You were just so frustrated, and then you were still so mad at Cas. You felt so betrayed and embarrassed, you felt as if you couldn't face him.

You were currently exhausted, running on four hours of sleep as you spent your night once again tossing and turning. Your dreams were filled with blood and the faces of your little brothers, but Cas was there this time. He appeared when you entered the house and told you that it was your fault. _Why'd you leave the house?_ He taunted, _you could've saved them. It's your fault you know. You were too weak… you still are._

You shook your head to clear the dream Cas from your mind and brought your attention back to the phone call you were currently participating in.

"High levels of oxytocin? Like the love drug?" you asked.

"Yes, agent Borden. I know you're in town about the Price murders, but this new death wasn't an isolated event. There was another man, Ricky Smart, who killed his wife earlier this month and also had high levels of oxytocin in his bloodwork."

"Okay, thank you. I'll be sure to look into this."

You hung up the phone and sighed. You weren't sure how these events were supposed to fit together, but emailed the sheriff's office anyway, requesting the file on Ricky Smart. It was only a couple minutes later when you received an email back with the full electronic file. It seemed nearly identical to Christopher Marshall, but there wasn't an actual link was between the two until you read a statement from Smart's coworker. Apparently, he had stayed late that night to clean up with a woman named Stacey Milligan. Except when the police went to question her, she had apparently left town. _Could this Smart guy have cheated on his wife like Marshall did? Could it even be the same lady? Was she somehow drugging men and getting them to kill their loved ones?_

You sat at the table in your motel room, tugging on the ends of your hair and thinking about these cases. Suddenly, your pocket came to life with the 60's Batman theme song and you answered the phone.

"Hello."

"Jayden? It's Dean, I was just wondering how things were going?"

"Oh, hi Dean. Things aren't so great here at the moment. The shifter was gone before we even got here and I can't find any new leads on that. And now there's some other case I've picked up. I've only got theories, but it seems like some girl is going around town, drugging men and making them kill their wives and girlfriends. They've all had high levels of oxytocin come back in their bloodwork. Got any theories?"

There was silence on the other end of the line. "Dean?"

"I think you've got a siren, Jayden."

"A siren? I thought those didn't stray very far from Greece?"

"It wouldn't be the first time."

"Okay, so how do I find this thing and kill it?"

"I'm not sure there is a way to find one. Maybe Cas can help, but I'd keep your eyes peeled. How is the angel anyway?"

You bristled at the mention of his name and said, "He's fine Dean. Just tell me how I kill this thing."

You waited impatiently as Dean said, "Ummm… okay." He sounded suspicious, but carried on anyway, "You need to stab it with a bronze dagger dipped in the blood of one of its victims."

"Shit. I have to find a victim and stab them first too?"

"Try for the blood samples from the other victims and then just gank the son of a bitch."

You smirked to yourself and said, "You speak so eloquent Dean. Thanks though, I'll see what I can do and then talk to you later."

"See ya, kid."

You hung up the phone and started rooting through your bags, looking for a bronze dagger when there was a knock on the door. You had just found it and straightened up, wondering who that could be. You set the dagger on the table and covered it with your blazer, before going to the door.

You opened it to find Cas standing there in the darkness. He opened his mouth to speak, but you cut him off. "I thought I told you I didn't want to see you. I have nothing to say to you Cas."

He closed his mouth and stared into your eyes. He remained silent as he took a step towards you. You weren't one to be intimidated, but something seemed off with Cas and you took a step back. His eyes were bright and his face was slightly flushed. He took another step towards you and this time you didn't step back.

"Get out, Cas. I said leave me alone."

He reached a hand out slowly as if to cup your cheek, but suddenly lunged at your throat. His fingers wrapped around your neck and your eyes widened in surprise. He pushed you back into the wall and raised you from the ground. Your feet dangled in the air and you clawed at his hand, trying to pry his fingers from your throat. "Cas?" you coughed out. _What the hell is going on?_

You stared into his eyes, but they didn't look like his. They were still sapphire blue but they didn't have the same depth as usual. "Cas?" you wheezed. Tears were gathering in your eyes when you looked over his shoulder and saw another person enter the room.

In the shadows, this person looked nearly identical to you and you immediately thought of the shifter. The girl walked further into the room, into the light and you realized that it wasn't the shifter, it wasn't your face, but this girl looked very similar to you. She had long blonde hair, but it was straighter than yours. Her eyes were darker and her face was rounder, but she was your height and build. It looked like you could have been relatives.

You wheezed and coughed again, struggling to breathe. Your lungs were quickly running out of air and you were trying to kick your legs out and hit Cas but he had them pinned to the wall with his body. You looked back into his eyes again, but it seemed as if he didn't even recognize you.

The girl suddenly spoke, "So you're the one that's been causing this angel a whole lot of trouble."


	11. Altercation with an Angel

Chapter Eleven for all you lovely people! I still don't own Supernatural, all rights rightfully belong to the rightful owners.

 **XXXX**

You couldn't speak, you couldn't even breathe. The girl slowly smirked at you and watched as Cas' fingers got tighter around your throat. You turned your attention back to him and tried pleading with your eyes, but it was like he was looking right through you.

Drastic times called for drastic measures. You were still mad at the angel though, and didn't feel quite so bad about what you were going to do. You pulled your arm back as far as you could and punched him in the throat. He let out a surprised cough and clutched at his neck with his free hand. He stumbled back a step and you took the opportunity to free your legs and knee him the ribs.

The angel doubled over in pain and you crashed to the floor. You fell to your knees, coughing and spluttering, trying to suck air into your deprived lungs. Tears streamed down your face from the burning pain in your chest and you hastily wiped them away before scrambling to your feet. "What the hell, Cas?" you yelled.

By this time, he had straightened up and stood still before you… except he wasn't looking at you. He stared devotedly at the other girl in the room, the one who looked like you. Suddenly, everything seemed to fall into place.

"So, you're the siren."

"Well, I'll give you one thing," she smirked, "You're not dumb."

 _Two could play at this game_. You glared at her and said, "Here I was just about to go looking for you… but apparently, you _are_ dumb, dumb enough to come find me."

She laughed a high, trilling laugh that sounded like tinkling glass. Cas sighed and you glanced at him briefly, but he still stared at the woman with stars in his eyes. It felt as if you had just received a kick to the chest when your heart stuttered for a second. You ignored the feeling and brought your attention back to the woman as she said, "Yes well, I met your friend here earlier and he told me all about you. And you know I just couldn't resist meeting you after that, especially since you managed to get his panties in such a big twist… he wouldn't even glance at me until I looked like this." She gestured to her body and you finally realized why she looked so much like you.

You couldn't help it as your face heated with a blush and you looked at the angel. "Cas?" you said quietly. He turned his attention to you but it was still as if he saw right through you.

"Once I did use this form though, your little angel boy couldn't keep his eyes off me… or his hands for that matter," the siren smirked.

You stared hard at her and refused to react. So what if Cas was intimate with this siren? You were still mad at him about the mind reading anyway.

When she realized you weren't going to say anything, the siren let out a sigh and said, "I'm bored already." She strode over to Cas and cupped his face with both hands, leaning into his body. "Baby, if you get rid of this girl, you and I can be together forever."

Cas paused for a second and his eyebrows furrowed, "Get rid of?"

"You know Baby," she brushed her nose against his, "Kill her." She planted her lips on his and kissed him while you looked away, suddenly uncomfortable. She pulled away and fingered the knot of his tie. "Don't you want that, Baby?"

"I—yes," Cas replied. His expression softened for a moment when he looked at her, but then he turned his attention to you and a mask of stone descended on his features.

She planted one last kiss on him and whispered, "Do it for me, Baby," before standing back with her arms crossed.

Cas started advancing towards you and you panicked. _I've never fought an angel! What the hell do I do?_ You glanced around the room and saw your jacket on the table. Remembering the bronze dagger, you lunged towards the table, but Cas tackled you to the floor.

You scrapped on the floor, struggling to get the upper hand, but failed. Cas straddled your hips as he pulled his arm back and punched you in the face. You felt your lip split and tasted blood in your mouth. He reared back again and this time you heard your nose crack and warm blood spilled down your face. He tried again, but you brought your left arm up in front of your face, effectively blocking his fist.

You used your other hand to land a well-placed punch to his ribs where you had kneed him earlier. It was already tender and you were able to buck him off when he was caught unaware.

You scrambled to your feet and tried to get to the table again, but Cas grabbed your ankle. You fell back on the floor and Cas yanked you closer from where he sat on his knees. You jabbed your knee into his ribs once again and used the momentum to roll over on top of him. Using your legs to pin his hands to the ground, you grabbed his face.

"Cas, this isn't you! That bitch infected you with some kind of venom. It's fake, it's all fake. You know me, we're friends! It's me, Jayden!" He tried to bite your hand and you turned his head, grinding his left cheek into the floor. "Listen to me, Cas!"

He still struggled underneath you as the siren suddenly spoke, "He's not gonna listen to your pathetic little squall. He's devoted to me, you know, he's gonna do whatever it takes to make me happy. Besides, I look more like you than you do right now," she said, looking pointedly at your short, shaggy brown hair.

You struggled to hold Cas still as she added, "What kind of friend are you anyway? The guy was shredded when you told him to leave you alone… it's a good thing I was here to comfort him." She smirked at you again as Cas wrenched an arm out from under your legs. He grabbed your hair and threw you to the side.

You both sprung up at the same time. Cas lunged at you but you ducked it easily and instead hit him in the face. His lip bled as he stumbled back into the table. The hand he reached out to steady himself landed on your jacket and his eyes widened. He looked at you quickly and then back at the table before grabbing the bronze dagger.

 _Shit._

He lunged at you again, but you sidestepped too slowly this time and the knife sliced your arm. You grabbed your arm and could feel blood between your fingers but didn't look down. Instead, you turned to face Cas again and went on the offensive. You kneed him in the ribs again and this time heard a crack. He brought his hand to his side and you used the window to punch him in the face twice before he twirled the knife in his hands.

You tried to step away, but the knife still left a large, shallow slice on your hip. You sucked a breath in through your teeth and took another step back. Cas lunged at you again with the knife, but his broken ribs slowed him down. You sidestepped him, grabbing his empty hand and wrenching it behind his back. You used your foot to kick his legs out from under him. He dropped to the ground on his knees as the knife clattered to the ground.

You shoved him aside and picked it up. You felt bad about what you were going to do, but steeled your resolve. As you turned to Cas, you noticed he was crouching on the ground and had only a second to realize what was happening. You tightened your grip on the knife as Cas leapt at you and somehow still managed to hold onto it as the two of you grappled on the floor.

A couple hits later and you were sitting on top of Cas, spitting blood from your mouth. _This damn angel._ You didn't feel so bad about what you were going to do anymore and just plunged the knife into his right shoulder. He cried out in pain and you cringed. "I'm sorry about that Cas, but it's for your own good."

You kept him pinned to the ground as you turned your attention back to the siren. Without hesitating, you brought your arm back and threw the knife at her. It stuck in her abdomen and she looked down at it in shock. The smirk was wiped from her face as she stared at you with wide eyes. She stumbled a couple steps to the right and you stared in horror at what you saw in the mirror.

Her reflection looked nothing like her. Her skin was actually grey and mottled, hanging off her body. She had no hair, ears or mouth. There were gaping holes where her features were supposed to be. Her eyes were dark and shadowed as she stared at you in the mirror. You watched as the light faded from them and she collapsed to the ground.

When she didn't move again, you let out the breath you had been holding and scrambled off of Cas, remaining on the floor, resting against the bed. You were breathing heavy and applying pressure to the cut on your hip when Cas slowly sat up.

He looked almost sheepish as he sat up and you couldn't help it as a small smile slipped out. "I told you I didn't need a babysitter," you joked.

He didn't look at you as he rubbed the back of his neck and said, "Yes, I understand that now." He glanced down at his shoulder, fingering the wound and you watched as it healed right before your eyes. His lip also mended and he tried to wipe the blood away, but just smeared it across his face.

When he finally looked up at you, his eyes softened and he looked sad. "Jayden, I am so sorry." He scooted over to where you sat and laid a hand on your arm. You felt the bones in your nose realign and when you lifted your hand from your hip, were surprised to find the skin was smooth, not even a hint of a scar. "Wow," you said, "Now I know why the Winchesters keep you around, I bet that often comes in handy."

You smiled when you met his eyes, but they were still sad and serious. He removed his hand from your arm, but didn't back away. "Jayden, you're right. I'm so sorry. If I hadn't come, this never would have happened." He looked away, but not before you saw the blame in his eyes. You knew that look well yourself, it was the same one you wore when you thought about your family.

"It's alright Cas. Without you I wouldn't have known it was a siren and I probably wouldn't have found it so quickly either."

You offered him a small comforting smile and he remained quiet for a long moment. The air between you two grew thick and awkward and you had the feeling he wanted to say something else. Cas looked uncomfortable as he spoke, "I also want you to know that… that nothing happened… that that siren and I didn't… didn't-"

Your felt a slight blush rise to your cheeks when you realized what Cas was trying to say, "It's okay, Cas. I don't need to know all the details."

He met your eyes for only a second before he looked away again. He rubbed the back of his neck and continued to look uncomfortable as he began, "There's one more thing I want to talk about, Jayden. It's your family—"

You felt the heat of your anger come rushing back as you remembered that you were mad at the angel. Your insides were boiling, but you felt ice cold as you scooted away from him and stood up. "No, Cas. I don't want to talk about it. Those were _my own_ private thoughts; you had no right to them. I just want to go home," you said, opening the door and gesturing for him to leave.

He sighed and looked dejected as he stood up and shuffled to the door, staring at you with those sad eyes.

"Meet me in the car in ten minutes," you said as you shut the door behind him.

 **XXXX**

You tried to quickly clean everything up and pack your bag, but when you closed the motel door, you saw Cas in the driver's seat, waiting for you. You slowly made your way to the car and steeled yourself for the long, silent drive. Throwing your bag in the backseat, you climbed into the car and stared out the window.

A couple minutes passed and Cas didn't do anything. You looked at him, but he made no move to start the vehicle. Instead, he gripped the keys tight in his hand and stared at you.

"I want to go home, Cas—" you started but he shushed you.

"No, Jayden. I want to clarify some things first."

"Cas, I really don't want to do this."

His face hardened and he refused to back down. "No. I have something to say and I want you to listen to me."

You squirmed in your seat and self-consciously tugged on the ends of your hair. You knew he wanted to talk about your family, but it made you feel so exposed. When you didn't say anything, Cas took your silence as approval and began to talk.

"I only read the thoughts about your family, but I didn't mean to. When you think about them, you are simultaneously the happiest I've ever known you to be and the saddest. It was like I could hear the song in your head, but you were singing through tears." You were taken aback by his confession and held your breath, waiting to see what else he would say.

Cas looked uncomfortable as he continued, "It was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard, I couldn't resist knowing what you were thinking about. And I don't know what you're so afraid that I've seen, but I promise you it was nothing bad. I only witnessed a couple memories you have of your family, and from those I can tell that you were truly happy and so, so loved. They loved you so much, Jayden."

Tears gathered in your eyes as you listened to Cas explain himself. You turned back to the window and blinked them away. He didn't know about your guilt and weakness, he'd only seen your happy memories. A stray tear spilled over your cheek, and you brushed it away, turning back to Cas.

"You promise that's the only thing you've witnessed. You're not lying to me?"

"I would never. And I'm so sorry, Jayden. Could you ever forgive me?" You stared at the sad angel with the bluest eyes you'd ever seen and slowly nodded your head.

"You have to promise to never do it again though, Cas."

"Of course, I promise."

You couldn't help the small smile that played across your lips and tried your best to smother it. Cas noticed though, and you saw his eyes brighten. This time you couldn't help it as a grin split your face and Cas began to smile too.

"Oh, stop it," you said, punching him on the shoulder.

His face grew serious suddenly and you became nervous. You self-consciously tugged on the ends of your hair and bit your lip as he leaned towards you. He reached a hand towards your face and you held your breath as he tucked a stray strand of hair behind your ear.

"There, that's better," he said, brushing his knuckles across your cheek. You pulled away and let his hand drop to the seat between you. When you looked down at yourself, you realized that your hair was back to its long, blonde waves and smiled.

"Thanks, Cas." You grabbed his hand and squeezed it before turning back towards the window and grinning at the stars.


	12. The beginning of a War

I do not own Supernatural, but I hope you enjoy this new chapter!

Also, we've lapsed into the season 9 storyline, but not to worry, it shall be different

 **XXXX**

The car ride home was mostly spent in comfortable silence. You turned on the radio and sang along quietly for a few songs, but soon felt yourself getting tired. You were listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd sing about a _Simple Man_ when your eyes drooped shut and you drifted off.

Twenty minutes later, you jerked awake. Cas looked at you with concern, and you tried your best to smile back at him. He wasn't convinced, but you didn't want to talk about it and instead looked out the window.

Your dreams were now constantly haunted by your dead brothers' faces. The room would fill with blood as you grappled with the shifter, trying to keep it from killing you. It seemed every time you closed your eyes, visions of murder would flash across the back of your lids and you'd have to see your brother's mutilated bodies. You just thanked your lucky stars that this time you hadn't cried.

You focused on the radio instead and spent the remainder of the car ride trying to stay awake. You barely slept anymore, but you couldn't face your nightmares and you weren't sure what to do.

 **XXXX**

When you and Cas finally arrived back at the bunker, Dean was waiting for you. He took one look at the both of you and blurted out, "What the hell happened to you two?"

Cas still had blood smeared across his face and his shirt was torn where you stabbed him. You were also pretty sure the blood from your broken nose was still streaked across your face and the gaping hole in your shirt exposed your left hip.

"That siren was one hell of a bitch," you replied.

Dean looked at Cas questioningly, but he was sheepish and wouldn't meet Dean's gaze. "Jayden was right, she didn't need me."

You scoffed and Dean said, "All the same, I'm glad you were there. How'd you guys find the siren anyway?"

"It was more like the siren found us."

Realization dawned on Dean's face and he almost looked like he wanted to laugh.

"Something funny about that, Winchester?" you asked.

He smothered a smile and said, "I mean it's not funny, but I would've loved to have seen you two duke it out." He was quiet for only a moment, before adding, "So, did you kick this pretty boy's ass?"

You and Cas both spoke at the same time. "It doesn't matter, as long as the siren's dead." Cas spoke over you and admitted, "Yes, she did Dean."

Dean let out a laugh and called out in the bunker, "Sammy! Sammy, Jayden kicked Cas' butt! I owe you a beer." He turned back to you and although he was still smiling, you knew he was serious when he said, "You're tougher than I thought, kid."

You nodded your head, feigning nonchalance, but secretly you were pleased by the praise. "Whatever you say, Winchester. I'm going to bed," you turned to Cas and added, "I'll see you around?" You intended it to be a statement, but it came out as more of a question.

He nodded his head and you left Dean and Cas to catch up, retreating to your room. You took a long, hot shower and climbed into bed, ready for a long sleep.

 **XXXX**

You stood in front of a house in the middle of a grassy field. Rain fell in sheets while thunder pounded and lightning lit up the sky. You had only been standing outside for a second and you were already soaked to the bone. Shivering, you wrapped your arms around yourself and climbed the porch steps to stand in front of the door.

You held your hand up to knock, but the door flew open before you even touched it. You took one step in and paused. The house was silent; the only sound was that of the water dripping from your clothing onto the floor. The stillness of the house unsettled you and you tried calling out, "Hello? Is there anybody here? Hel—"

Your mouth snapped shut when you realized where exactly you were. This was your family's home, _your_ last real home and the last real place you felt safe. You stood frozen in the foyer, unsure what to do when you suddenly heard a scream cut through the air.

You'd recognize that voice anywhere. It was your youngest brother, Jace. Taking off for the stairs, you heard him scream again. You started to panic and ran faster, trying your best to be careful not to trip up the stairs.

"Jayden? Jayden, you have to help me! Jay—"

Tears had gathered in your eyes by this point and you let out a sob when Jace was silenced mid-scream. The terror in his voice broke your heart and you called out, "Jace, buddy, I'm coming for you! I'm right here!"

You wrenched open the door to your brothers' room and squeezed your eyes shut almost immediately. Isaiah was sprawled in his bed, staring at nothing as blood seeped through the sheets. Jace was worse off. The sheets had been torn away and you could see the bloody, shredded mess his body had become. His face was frozen in horror and you tried your best to keep from being sick. You hoped against all odds that this was only a dream.

You suddenly realized that this was in fact, a dream. You knew your family was already dead and that this house wasn't your home anymore. You remembered the bunker and the Winchesters and Cas. _None of this was real,_ you realized.

Still, you couldn't stop the tears that streamed down your face. You tried your best to wipe them away as you stumbled towards your brother's bed, wanting to hold his hand for one last time.

You dropped to your knees and started to speak, "Jace, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault… if I had never left the house that night, I could've… I could've done something. I could've saved you… or died with the rest of you." You closed his eyes as you continued talking, "Everybody would say that people went to a better place when they died, but I wasn't sure if that was ever true. Now thanks to some new friends, I know for a fact that heaven is real and if anyone deserves to be there, little brother, it's you."

You sniffed as you paused and tried to wipe away more tears. "You would've liked these new friends too, buddy. I love them almost as much as I love you."

You couldn't bear to look at his face any longer and pressed your face into the sheets, sobbing. You knew what came next: you had to face the bane of your existence as the shifter would appear in the doorway.

You heard the inevitable creak behind you and stiffened.

"Jayden?"

You recognized that voice. However, it wasn't that of the shifter. It was deeper and gravelly, similar to that of a certain angel you knew.

"Cas?" you spun around and stared at him, your eyes filling with new tears. His eyes flicked around the room before coming to rest on you like sad, shining sapphires. You hadn't bothered to wipe away the new tears and your vision was soon blurred so that all you could make out was the silhouette of the angel in the doorway.

He took a few hesitant steps toward you, and then purposefully strode the rest of the way before kneeling in front of you. He placed a hand on your upper back and instantly dried your sopping wet clothes.

You looked at him through your tears and nodded a silent thank you. He kept his hand there, comfortingly rubbing your back, but you wanted more. You wanted to throw your arms around him, but stopped, afraid that he would reject the physical contact or become awkward.

Suddenly and with sure, quick movements though, Cas lowered his arm and slid it around your waist, pulling you closer. He used his other hand to cradle your head and gently guided it to his shoulder. You sat in his lap in the middle of the floor, surrounded by your brothers' dead bodies as he brushed his hand through your tangled hair. You continued to cry, pressing your face into his jacket when you suddenly let out a garbled laugh. "How did you know exactly what I wanted?" You smiled into his shoulder when a thought suddenly occurred to you. "You didn't read my mind? Did you, Jackass?"

You tensed, but Cas continued to brush his hand through your hair as he said, "Not this time, Jayden. It appears we wanted the same thing." You sighed, relaxing back into him.

Tears continued to stream down your face but your body was no longer wracked with sobs. You turned your head towards Cas' neck and breathed in his scent. You could smell sandalwood and a hint of soap, but mostly he smelled like the outdoors right after a heavy rainfall. Sweet and fresh like a new beginning.

You sighed and relaxed further into his arms, closing your eyes. You felt safe in them, and wondered that if you sat there long enough you could forget about reality. Nestling your head further into his jacket, you realized your tears had dried up. "Hey, Cas," you murmured.

He turned his head towards you, continuing to stroke your hair and answered with an absent, "Mmmm?"

"I know this is just a dream, but thanks for being here."

Cas didn't reply, but you were content with the silence.

Your breathing soon became deeper and slower as you drifted to sleep. Cas continued to hold you in his arms, stroking your hair and staring at the bodies of your dead brothers while the night slowly crept into day.

 **XXXX**

You squinted your eyes against the sun and rolled over. You snuggled deeper into the blankets and tried to fall back asleep. It was no use though, when you realized that this was the first time in three days you had slept through the whole night. You rubbed your eyes and tried to remember your dream from last night.

A shiver ran down your spine when you remembered your dead brothers. It was the same dream you had every time you fell asleep, but this time, rather than the shifter showing up in your brothers' room, Cas had shown up. He held you in his arms until you had fallen asleep again. Your body warmed at the memory and you could feel the ghost of his touch on your back.

You threw off the covers and pulled a sweatshirt over your pajamas. Surprising yourself, you realized you had missed the Winchester's stale, old tea and made your way to the kitchen. You smiled at Dean but stopped short when you saw who was sitting across the table from him. Instantly, you thought of last night's dream and a blush rose to your cheeks.

"Cas, hey! You're still here!" you blurted out, cringing at your own tactlessness.

"Good morning, Jayden."

Not trusting yourself to speak, you nodded your head at him and brewed some tea while preparing a bagel. _What did you have to be awkward about? Cas doesn't know you dreamt about him? It's not even like you two did anything in the dream, he just comforted you while you were surrounded by your dead brothers._ Your internal monologue continued like that as Dean and Cas whispered at the table.

Trying your best to shake off your awkwardness, you took your tea and bagel and sat next to Dean. "So what's the plan for today?"

Dean turned to look at you. "Well, Sam and I don't actually have a case today so I guess the three of us are just hanging around the bunker."

You turned your attention to Cas and said, "You're not staying?"

He almost seemed sad as he replied, "There are pressing matters among the angels I must attend to." And with that, he was gone.

You and Dean sat staring at an empty chair. "I guess we'll see you around," you muttered.

 **XXXX**

The next two months followed much of the same pattern. You, Sam and Dean divided your time between the bunker and working odd cases. You continued to look for your shifter, but also enjoyed your time with the Winchesters.

The three of you would watch the occasional movie together. You and Dean would fight over which movie to watch and when you reached a standstill, Sam would choose. Usually this meant you had to watch a boring documentary film where Dean would fall asleep within the first half hour, while you stayed awake, trying your best to humor Sam. You were pretty sure you were now an unofficial expert on all things meerkat.

Often times, you and Sam would cook meals. Your specialty was dessert and once, you even made Dean a raspberry sour cream pie which resulted in your first real hug in years. You felt awkward and silly, but laughed when Dean picked you up off the ground, loudly kissing the top of your head.

You and Sam spent days sitting across from each other in the library. He would research any potential cases while you looked into your shifter. No words were said, but you felt comforted by his presence all the same.

When one of you did find a potential case, the three of you would head out together; two FBI agents and their forensic consultant. The Winchesters always had your back, whether it was fighting monsters or dodging sleazy drunks at bars. They were there for you and you could slowly feel yourself becoming attached. In reality, they were beginning to feel like brothers, but you felt as if that was a betrayal to your actual, dead brothers to admit this. Either way, the Winchesters were your best friends.

During this time, Cas would also pop in every so often. Sometimes, he would stay for a couple nights, others for only a couple hours. You didn't get a chance to spend much time together as Cas was busy. He looked more worn out the past couple times he visited and you were beginning to worry about him. You tried your best to help, but Cas insisted there was nothing you could do.

Even though you didn't spend that much time with Cas, you still saw him in your dreams. He would appear randomly; sometimes he stopped you from going up the stairs, other times he'd be too late and gathered you in his arms as you sat sobbing by your baby brothers. You were growing more attached to the angel every night and he didn't even know it.

 **XXXX**

Dean pulled up in front of a large, brick building. It looked like a regular old factory to you and you poked your head out from the backseat, unsure. "You sure this is the right address?"

"Yep," Dean replied, staring at the mammoth of a building in front of you.

The three of you got out of the impala and made your way to the front door. Dean raised his hand to knock when a tall, dark-haired man opened the door. The seriousness of his face and the posture with which he held himself just screamed angel and you straightened your own back. "If you follow me, the commander will see you now."

Sam raised his eyebrows at you and said, "Commander?"

You looked at him in bewilderment and shrugged your shoulders, following Dean. The angel led you down a long, twisting hallway, until you emerged into a giant room. You couldn't keep your eyes from widening as you took it all in. The room was filled with desks, and papers, angels packed in every available space. It was a flurry of activity and you weren't sure where to look as you followed the angel to a small, private office.

The angel knocked on the open door and said, "Sir."

A very familiar face turned around to meet the three of you. Cas smiled when he saw you guys and held out his arms for a hug. First was Dean, then Sam and finally you. You stuttered for only a second before he engulfed you in his arms. The hug reminded of your dreams as Cas cradled your head in a nearly identical fashion. You sighed and relaxed into him before stiffening with the realization that this wasn't a dream and Cas had no idea he held you in his arms nearly every night. You pulled away quickly and were surprised to find no trace of awkwardness in the angel. He stood straight, smiling at the three of you.

Sam cleared his throat and jerked his head toward the doorway, where you realized the angel that greeted the three of you still stood.

"Dismissed," Cas said curtly. He paused before adding, "He can be a little stuffy sometimes."

The three of you stared at him in silence until Dean gruffly said, "So… Commander?'

Cas looked sheepish for only a moment before he replied, "Yeah, that wasn't my idea. They didn't have a leader, and they insisted on following me."

"Yeah well, we get it, you're a rockstar." You couldn't help the smirk that crossed your face when you saw how off-put Cas was by Dean's words.

Cas updated the three of you on the angel business, but you were too distracted by the bustle of activity outside the office. Sam also wandered around, standing in front of the window when he spoke, "So, this war between angels is really gonna happen, huh?"

"Not if I can find a diplomatic option for getting rid of Metatron."

In the past weeks, you had heard a lot about Metatron before finally asking Sam straight out who he was. You weren't sure there was a diplomatic option and neither was Dean apparently as he said, "Good luck with that."

"Dean, this angel on angel violence has to end. Someone has to say enough."

You finally decided to pipe up. "And that someone is you?"

The three men looked at you for a couple moments. Cas avoided your question and instead said, "It brings me to why you're here. We have a prisoner, an angel from Metatron's inner circle. I need to know what they're planning and so far, he's revealed nothing."

Understanding crossed Dean's face. "So you're done with the rough stuff and you want us to be your goons."

Cas looked slightly sheepish as he said, "Well, you've had success in these situations before. If you don't want to do it though, I understand."

"Who says I didn't want to do it?"

 **XXXX**

You watched through the window as the Winchesters walked down a hallway. When they were out of sight, you turned back to Cas. "So, this is where you've been whisking away to, huh? I can see why you've been busy. You're a big shot leader in an angel war," you teased.

When you looked at Cas, however, he wasn't smiling. Instead, he was solemn as he said, "Jayden, this is serious. This violence among angels needs to end. I tried to tell them that they were free to live their own lives, but they insisted on following me instead. I need to find a way to end this war before any more angels are killed."

You were shocked into silence; you had never seen Cas so stressed out. "I'm sorry, Cas. I didn't mean to make light of the situation, I just… you just… you haven't been around the bunker in a while, that's all."

You cringed internally at how needy you sounded and hoped that Cas wouldn't pick up on it. The nights when he was in the bunker, you slept better. Dream Cas would show up earlier in your dream and prevent you from walking up those stairs. Before you could hear your brother screaming, he would poof the two of you away to a different destination. The first time it ever happened, he took you to your favourite bookstore from your home town and this past time, he had taken you to the empty bunker where the two of you made your favourite food: pancakes.

You blinked away your thoughts and brought your focus back to Cas who was staring at you. You couldn't read the expression on his face, but thought you saw concern in his eyes before they clouded over and he said, "Please forgive me, Jayden, but these angels rely on me. They already think I spend too much time with the Winchesters."

The back of your neck prickled as you grew uncomfortable. Cas was busy enough without having to worry about your feelings. "No, Cas, it's fine. You don't have to apologize to me for that. You have your own life and business apart from the three of us; I just hadn't realized the extent of your responsibility."

"Yes well, responsibility is the price of greatness."

"So we're quoting Churchill now? I guess he isn't too bad of an example to follow. He got England through the war; you'll be able to get these angels through the same."

You smiled at him when you saw the surprised expression on his face. "You know of Winston Churchill and his words of responsibility?"

"I might not have finished high school, but I'm not completely ignorant," you teased.

Cas immediately looked contrite. "Forgive me, Jayden that came across differently than I intended it to."

You couldn't help it as you chuckled at the angel. You grinned and said, "I'm only teasing you Cas, my dad was a giant history buff and obsessed about all things World War II. He could've told you what Hitler ate for breakfast on the day he died."

A familiar ache filled your chest when you thought about your dad. Rather than being suffocated by it, you tried to bring your attention back to Cas. He must have noticed a change in your eyes because understanding dawned on his face and he immediately switched topics.

"How have things been at the bunker the last couple days anyway?"

"Same old, same old, really. Sam and Dean fought a little bit, I made soup for lunch yesterday and we actually just watched a documentary about wild African boar earlier this week." You watched a smile slowly spread across Cas' face as you listed the high points of the week and couldn't help your own grin. "I take it things were busy here then?"

He shook his head at you in a mixture of exasperation and amusement, saying, "Things have been very busy… after all, we're trying our best to prevent an angel war." If you hadn't known any better, you could've sworn Cas was joking with you. He continued to smile as he spoke and you quirked an eyebrow at him. "And what can you tell me about wild African boar? I hadn't paid much attention to them, but I'm sure they must be fascinating."

Your suspicions were confirmed as you stared at the angel, noticing the mischievous glint in his eye. "You mean to tell me in the trillions of years you've been alive, you've never taken an interest in wild African boar?"

Cas' smile widened and he shook his head at you, remaining quiet and looking falsely apologetic. Your own grin widened and you felt giddy standing in the small office. You also felt like a dumb teenager, talking to your first crush and tried to rein it in.

You were confused about your feelings for Cas. Of course he was your friend, but you sometimes felt your heart stutter when he walked in a room. You blamed the dreams for causing this and cursed your own mind. You felt ridiculous, knowing that dreams were causing you to grow fonder of this angel in front of you, and he didn't even know it.

You pushed those thoughts out of your head and continued, "Well… wild boars live in groups called sounds that are composed of females and their offspring. The males live a solitary life, except during mating season where they fight for the chance to mate."

"You really did watch a wild boar documentary."

You barked out a laugh. "Why would I lie about that?"

Cas just shrugged his shoulders and stared at you. He looked as if he wanted to say something more, but at that moment Dean thrust open the office door. He marched in with Sam behind him and glanced at you before settling his gaze on Cas. "We might have a little problem…"


	13. The Mark of Cain

I do not own the lovely show called Supernatural.

Here's a new chapter, still with the storyline of season nine. As will the next couple chapters be. Anyway, I hope you guys like it. If you think that following the storyline is boring or dumb, feel free to tell me. Nicely, please though! I'm still considering going a couple different ways with this story, so all opinions are welcome!

 **XXXX**

The two Winchesters sat in chairs in front of Cas. You stood behind them, leaning on a cabinet with your arms crossed, listening to the exchange.

"It's unbelievable," Sam said, "I mean, he was fine when we left him."

The younger Winchester looked genuinely surprised. You knew they weren't lying when Dean added, "I barely touched the guy."

"He was still shackled, no weapon, this wasn't suicide."

Cas stared at the two of them in silence. After a moment, he said with absolute certainty, "No. This was an angel kill."

The brothers exchanged a glance. You knew exactly what the both of them were thinking and decided to speak up. "Maybe your operation's been hacked? You know… Metatron's got somebody on the inside."

Cas' eyes cut to yours and again he was silent for a long moment. He looked back to the brothers and sounded sad when he finally said, "I was sure everyone here was loyal… finally united by a common cause." His eyes were cast upwards as a look of disbelief crossed his face.

"Well, that's the problem," Dean began, "See, you don't think anybody's lying, I think everybody's lying. It's a gift." You couldn't see his face, but you could imagine the smug smirk on his face as he added the last part. You rolled your eyes and stood up straighter, but nobody spoke. Dean stood up from his chair then, slapping Sam on the leg, "Come on, let's do some nosing around."

Cas watched as Dean walked out of the office, but stopped Sam when he stood up. "Sam, do you have a moment?"

"Yeah, what?"

"I wanted to ask you about Gadreel, the time he possessed you."

Right away you could tell Sam was uncomfortable. You still couldn't see his face, but the set of his shoulders was tense and he ducked his head. Your suspicions were confirmed when you heard the tightness in his voice. "It's not really something I like to—"

"Sam, please," Cas cut him off.

This time Sam was silent for a moment. He took a deep breath before he found the words. "He didn't possess me completely, more like we…" he searched for the words, "shared housing. I was still me."

"Did you ever sense a presence?"

Sam ducked his head further and you glared at Cas over his shoulder. Your gazes clashed and you shook your head at him with narrowed eyes. _Why is he doing this? He knows Sam doesn't want to talk about it._ Cas flicked his eyes back to Sam, ignoring you.

"I don't really know what I felt. I mean, maybe that I wasn't completely alone?"

"Did you ever feel threatened?"

 _What the hell Cas? This angel better had a damn good reason to drag Sam through all this crap again._

"No. More that he… wasn't at rest, like he had unfinished business. Now that we know more about him, I'd say he felt misunderstood."

"But not a danger… not hostile?"

"No. I was wrong obviously. He killed Kevin."

You cringed at Sam's flat tone and emotionless words as he turned on his heel and left the office. Throughout the past couple months, you had gathered information about Kevin before flat out asking Dean who he was… and had immediately regretted it when you saw the older Winchester's face fall and heard the story. You knew that the whole possession issue and Kevin's murder was a sore spot for both of the brothers and turned to Cas when the door shut.

"What the hell, Cas?" you whispered scolded him. The angel looked deadly serious but you continued anyway, "Why would you drag Sam through all that crap with Gadreel again? The man was forced to kill his own friend and you just reminded him of all that!"

Cas was stoic, giving away nothing when he replied, "I have an idea."

You stopped short at his four words, staring at him with incredulity. "This had better be a damn brilliant idea," you muttered through clenched teeth.

"It just might stop a war if it works."

 **XXXX**

You and Cas stood in the middle of a forest, next to an old oak tree. You tapped your foot and watched a couple stray leaves float to the ground, quickly running out of patience. Letting out a sigh, you said, "What if he doesn't show up?"

Cas was calm and sure as he answered. He leaned back against the tree and said, "He will come."

You let out a frustrated huff and threw your hands in the air. "How can you be so sure? What if he told Metatron and they're planning an ambush as we speak? This idea is never going to—"

Cas held up a hand to silence you at the exact moment you heard a twig snap in the trees somewhere. His eyes were locked on yours as he nodded, standing up straight. You whirled around in time to see a man emerge from the surrounding trees. He was tall and had a strong square jaw. His hair was light brown, cropped close to his head and he wore a leather jacket. Cas stepped forwards to meet him while you remained by the tree.

"Thank you for coming," Cas spoke, "Thank you for coming alone."

The man, Gadreel, looked over Cas' shoulder at you. You narrowed your eyes, staring him down, but he didn't react, instead he looked back at Cas. "I've seen you through Sam Winchester's eyes and he trusts you. You have a reputation for honour."

"In some circles. As for reputations, yours precedes you."

You watched as Gadreel took an abrupt step forward. You heard anger in his voice when he said, "What happened in the garden was not my doing."

"I know you feel misunderstood and you're eager to redeem yourself… maybe more?"

You were barely following the angels' conversation, but what Cas just said seemed to anger Gadreel further. This was the most serious you had ever seen Cas, you had also never seen an angry angel and were becoming nervous, not sure what to expect. "You refer to my support of Metatron's campaign to rebuild heaven?"

"Your support? You're recruited for him. You've killed for him. I know you truly believe it's for the greater good but you placed your faith in the wrong master."

You could feel the tension in the air. The two angels were practically in each other's faces. Growing even more uneasy, you slowly reached into your jacket and clutched the angel blade Cas had given you earlier. Gadreel was too busy staring Cas down to notice and you thanked your lucky stars.

"You don't know him," Gadreel spit out.

"I know him too well, Gadreel. I made the same mistake and it led to the fall."

You could hear the regret and remorse in Cas' voice even though you couldn't see his face. Over his shoulder, Gadreel's expression didn't change and he continued, "Which led to my second chance."

"This is about more than just you."

Gadreel paused and considered Cas' words for a moment. Your hand was still clutching the angel blade as he spoke. "Castiel, are you suggesting I change loyalties?"

"I'm suggesting you reclaim your original loyalty to the haven and mission we were created to serve."

"I thought that was exactly what I was doing?"

You listened carefully as Cas spoke through clenched teeth. "Well, you've been deceived and as bad as you've had it… all those centuries locked away… it will be much worse under Metatron."

Gadreel said nothing when suddenly his eyes flicked to you. W _ait, not you,_ you realized, _something behind you._ Turning at the last second, you saw a man running towards you with his arms outstretched. Suddenly, you lost your bearings as you were thrown to the ground. The angel blade tumbled out of your grasp.

Cas' back was still facing you as you heard Gadreel call out, "Castiel!" In your peripheral vision you could see him turn around as a woman ran out of the trees. Gadreel was gone in the blink of an eye.

You brought your attention back to the man on top of you. The wind had been knocked out of you and you wheezed, trying to get into your lungs while feeling around for your blade. The man was sitting on top of you, pinning your other arm in place.

He punched you in the face and stars danced behind your eyes. _Jesus, this man was strong._ While you blinked away the stars and desperately searched for your weapon, the man reached into his jacket and pulled out his own angel blade. _Not a man,_ you realized, _another freaking angel._

He poised the blade over your heart and you panicked, ripping your arm out from under him and using both hands to grab his wrist. Your hands shook as you pushed with all your strength, but still the blade inched closer to your heart. The angel used his other hand to punch you in the face again, but your adrenaline was spiking. You could feel the warm blood rushing over your face, but not the brain from you newly broken nose.

The tip of his blade cut through your clothing and you could feel the sting of the cold metal as it pressed against your skin. You watched as his expression turned to one of cocky triumph and chose that moment to twist his wrist. You could hear the bones cracking and saw his eyes widen in shock. His grip on the blade slackened and you took the opportunity to grab it from him.

Turning it around in your fingers, you plunged it into his abdomen. He opened his mouth to scream, but a bright blue light was emitted instead. You squeezed your eyes shut, nearly blinded as it spilled out from his eyes also.

You didn't open your eyes until his body slumped on top of you. You laid there for a few minutes, trying to control you breathing. The forest was nearly silent; the only sound that of the wind in the trees. You nose ached and you knew it was definitely broken.

"Jayden?" Cas suddenly said. You couldn't be sure but thought you heard a note of panic in his voice.

You grunted, rolling the dead angel off of you, sitting up. Cas was standing over the woman's body, staring at you from a couple feet away. "Well, I think this officially confirms you have a mole," you said, wiping the blood from your face with your sleeve and finally locating your own angel blade. "Or Gadreel set you up."

Cas' chest deflated with a sigh of relief as he walked towards you, helping you up. He held your elbow lightly and you could feel your nose set. "You are a very adept fighter."

You smiled up at him, "Thank, Cas."

He remained serious, however, as he sighed. "I fear you are right about the mole. I need to find Gadreel again."

"Woah, wait a second! You just met with him and two angels tried to kill you. You want to meet with him again? What if he did set it up?"

"I do not think he did. He seemed surprised when the angels attacked and tried to warn me. I think I may be able to convince him to do the right thing… I also think it's best if I go alone this time. I want him to trust me and besides… I couldn't live with myself if something were to happen to you."

"That's sweet and all, but I don't trust this guy."

"Trust me then. I believe he is innocent. This could be my one chance to end this war before it begins."

You searched Cas' gaze but he seemed sure. You, yourself, were sure this was a bad idea but knew from the set of his shoulders and determined look that you wouldn't be able to change his mind. You sighed in defeat and said, "Alright, fine. But if you die, I'm going to kill you."

His eyebrows drew together in confusion. "I don't think—"

"I know, I know. Nevermind." You shook your head at the angel in front of you. An inappropriate laugh rose in your throat as you thought to yourself, _he looks more like a confused puppy than an all-powerful angel._ Your phone suddenly chimed and you quickly read the text from Sam, the laugh dying in your throat.

You looked back at Cas, who was still staring at you. "Alright, you meet with Gadreel, but you come back in one piece, understand?"

"I will."

"I'm holding you to your word, angel boy. Now, I also think the Winchesters might need a hand… mind giving me a lift…?"

 **XXXX**

Sam and Dean stood on the sidewalk a couple feet away from the impala. Sam's brow was furrowed as he listened to his older brother talk.

"Hey, Winchesters," you smirked.

Dean stopped mid-sentence and whirled around to face you. "Son of a bitch!" he cried, "Where the hell did you come from?"

"Nice to see you too," you laughed, "Cad dropped me off… so what's the plan? We're storming Abaddon's castle?"

Dean looked at you in surprise. "I—what? How do you…?" You looked pointedly at Sam and he followed your gaze. His eyes cleared in understanding and he shot Sam a look. You narrowed your eyes at him, noticing the frustration on his face. He huffed out a breath before saying, "Abaddon is supposed to be on the top floor of this building. This is our opportunity to gank that bitch, but Crowley mentioned demons in the basement, so we're casing the joint."

You glanced at Sam for confirmation, but he looked suspicious, almost like he didn't believe Dean.

When neither of you responded, Dean added, "Look, why don't you, Sam, check out the basement while Jayden and I alternate floors until we reach the top. You take the first one and I'll take the second, and we'll move from there. This is our only chance and I don't want some punk ass demon sneaking up behind us and blowing the whole thing to shit, capiche?"

"Alright," you said hesitantly. Sam didn't respond, but didn't protest either when Dean grabbed a package from his hands. You didn't know what it was; you hadn't even realized Sam was holding it until Dean grabbed it. From what you could see of the wrapping, it looked old and you figured it could be some weapon to stop Abaddon.

You trailed after Dean as the three of you made your way into the hotel.

 **XXXX**

Sam disengaged from the group first. He left you and Dean in the lobby to look for the basement. On the first floor, you unsheathed your knife and nodded at Dean, watching him disappear up the next flight of stairs.

You wandered the hallways, checking the rooms and feeling uneasy. You were hoping that Cas' meeting with Gadreel would be more successful this time. Actually, you just hoped that Cas would make it back safe and sound. You also felt uneasy due to Sam's skepticism of Dean. Sure the brothers fought and things could get intense between them, but this time you were unnerved and couldn't shake the bad feeling.

You cleared the first floor and were halfway through the third now. Sam was still in the basement and you had yet to encounter a demon. Your uneasiness persisted and a ball of nerves was growing in your stomach.

Suddenly, an almighty crash could be heard from the upper floors. You abandoned the third floor and ran back to the stairwell, taking the steps two at a time. "Sam? Dean?" you called, but there was no answer.

Reaching the top floor, you wrenched open the door. You made your way down the hallway to the penthouse and burst in through the door. What you saw made you stop short. Crowley sat in an armchair, clutching a bullet wound in his shoulder while a red-headed woman you presumed to be Abaddon stood in the middle of the room with a sneer. Dean was pinned to the wall holding an ancient-looking blade. From what you could tell, it looked like it was made from the jawbone of an animal.

You had only seconds to take in the scene before Abaddon threw up a hand. The air was sucked from your lungs as you flew backwards, smashing into the door. Sliding to the floor, you remained upright but couldn't move as Abaddon pinned you in place.

The pressure on your chest was tight and you tried to stand up. Your muscles shook with effort, but still you remained pinned. You watched, helpless as the scene unfolded before you. Something under the sleeve of Dean's shirt was glowing orange. You watched in wonder as it seemed he was able to resist her powers, slowly peeling his arm from the wall. The brighter his arm glowed, the stronger he seemed.

Dean fell from the wall and you watched in absolute shock as he took a couple steps towards Abaddon. The pressure on your chest was so tight, you couldn't even breathe deeply. _How was Dean doing this? How is he immune to her powers?_

A breeze had begun in the room and quickly grew violent. Your hair whipped around your face as objects began flying across the room and Crowley was hit in the face with a lamp, still clutching his shoulder.

Dean was also blown back and pinned to the wall again. He dropped the weapon and Abaddon let out a laugh. She finally turned around, drawing her attention to you.

"And who do we have here?" she mused, "A friend of the Winchesters', how cute!"

You glared at her without responding. You gritted your teeth and resolved not to rise to her bait.

"No matter," she laughed, "You'll probably die soon anyway, like all their other friends. Who am I kidding? Of course you'll die! I'm going to be the one to kill you."

You continued to stare at her, but watched out of the corner of your eye as the ancient blade flew back into Dean's hand. Attempting to distract her, you played into her taunts.

"You're not gonna kill me," you said, spitting at her feet.

"Why you little bitch!" she cried, when suddenly the door beside you opened. Sam burst into the room, eyes widening when he spotted Dean. Abaddon threw him to the ground with a wave of her hands and the turned around, back to the older Winchester.

Dean was marching across the room towards her, unaffected by her powers. She turned her hand tighter and you felt as if your ribs were going to crack. Dean however, was still unaffected, and walked right up to the horrified Abaddon, stabbing her in the stomach. You watched as she was lifted off the ground, the ancient blade embedded deep in her abdomen. An orange light crackled beneath her skin before shining out her eyes and mouth.

Not even sure what was happening anymore, you glanced at Sam, but he was too distracted by the events unfolding to notice. Hearing her tortured scream, you looked back at Dean. Her body fell to the floor with a thud and Dean pounced on top of her. A look of uncontrollable rage came across his face and he pulled his hand back.

You squeezed your eyes shut as you heard the first thud of weapon meeting flesh. Again and again, the sound repeated and you heard Sam saying, "Dean. Dean! Stop! You can stop, Dean!"

Only when the room was silent, did you dare to open your eyes. You looked at Sam first, who glanced at you with wide, panicked eyes. Dean sat, breathing heavily, on top of Abaddon's dead body. You had seen horrible things in your hunting days, but this was one of the worst. You didn't even recognize Abaddon's body as a body anymore. It was blood, guts and carnage everywhere.

Realizing you were no longer pinned in place, you slumped to the floor, breathing deeply, trying to calm your stomach. Dean threw the blade away and the three of you sat there staring at each other in shock.

 **XXXX**

"You know, you could at least help me with this," Crowley complained, digging the bullet out of his shoulder with a long knife. You sat on the arm of the chair opposite him and watched as he winced. The Winchesters stood around scuffing their feet on the floor and looking everywhere but Abaddon's dead body.

"We didn't kill you, Crowley," Sam said, "even though it would've been very easy. Isn't that enough?"

"You owe me. Do I get no credit for warning you this was a trap?" Sam scoffed, but you watched Crowley's face as he continued, "Poughkeepsie ring a bell?"

You glanced first at Sam, noticing the confusion on his face, then at Dean. He tried not to, but he looked guilty and avoided your gaze. You knew the word was one the Winchesters used to indicate a trap, but weren't sure why Crowley brought it up.

Sam stared at Dean who suddenly said, "I just still can't get over the fact that Crowley has a son." He looked at the king of hell. "How's he doing by the way?"

Crowley finally got the bullet out of his shoulder with an abrupt "Ow!" He dropped it onto the table with a clink and glared at Dean. "How do you think?"

Dean cleared his throat and disregarded Crowley's sarcastic reply. "You get that he's got to go back, right? To his own time."

"If that boy goes back his destiny is to board a ship bound for America. That ship goes down in a storm, all hands were lost. He had one chance in this world to change his life and that all ends in tragedy."

Dean looked unapologetic as he answered, "Well, I don't know what to tell you. Thems the rules, he goes back."

"The lore all says the same thing," Sam added, "You change one thing in the past, the ripple effect changes everything that follows."

"Please," Crowley scoffed, "No one bends the rules like you two bend the rules. He's one misfit kid, he impacts no one."

"You don't bend that rule, okay? You don't. We'll take him back to the bunker, figure out the spell, okay? That's the way it's got to be." Sam was firm as he talked to Crowley but you saw the look in the demon's eyes.

"Can I at least say goodbye?" he whined. He rolled his eyes before adding, "I'll cheer the day the last trace of humanity leaves me."

When neither of the Winchesters protested, Crowley stood up and disgustedly muttered, "Feelings." You knew it was a bad idea, but didn't speak up. Crowley was probably gonna take the kid somewhere hidden, but you couldn't bring yourself to care. You had bigger things to worry about. During their conversation, you had let your mind wander. _What the hell had just happened in here? How had Dean resisted Abaddon's powers? She was a freaking knight of hell and he brushed her off like it was nothing! These damn Winchesters and their secrets. What were they keeping from you?_

A sudden chime from your phone woke you from your reverie. You let out a sigh of relief as you read Cas' text. He hadn't convinced Gadreel, but at least he was okay.

You looked up as Crowley walked into the other room, toward his son when the doors swung shut suddenly. Both Winchesters sprang forward, yanking on the handles, but when the doors opened, the room beyond was empty.

"Dammit Crowley!" Dean cried to no one in particular.

You still sat on the arm of the chair, watching the two men and clutching your phone. Sam looked around the ruined room and sighed, "Well, there's nothing we can do about it now. Let's just get out of here." He looked at you, but faltered when he saw your face.

"We're not leaving until you two tell me what the hell just happened here. What are you two keeping from me?"

The brothers shared a guilty look before Dean took a deep breath. "Listen Jayden…"


	14. An Army's Downfall

Lucky number chapter 14! ...I still don't own Supernatural, so that's nothing new. Hope you enjoy!

 **XXXX**

You were sitting at a table in the library of the bunker, staring at your computer in frustration. A week had gone by since Dean killed Abaddon and things had been weird. Things were tense between the brothers and Dean seemed angrier than ever. He was quick to jump down yours and Sam's throats at the slightest provocation.

You had also been attempting to track down a lead on your shifter, but kept coming up empty handed. Trying to hack police data bases was more difficult than you anticipated and things were moving slower than you wanted.

You tapped on the keyboard a couple more times, but it was still no use. Sighing, you looked up as Dean suddenly walked in the room with a duffle bag. He set it on the table and walked around the room, gathering up a bunch of items.

"Hey Dean, what are you doing up? Didn't you and Sam just get back only two hours ago?" you asked, glancing at the clock.

"We got work to do."

Something seemed off about Dean, but you ignored it. "Okay… what's up?" you asked, as a bleary eyed Sam walked into the room. His hair was a mess, his shirt was rumpled and he looked exhausted. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," you smirked at him then glanced back to Dean, "Are you sure you guys don't want to sleep for a couple more hours?"

Dean shook his head, "Not tired. And I called Cas. He said there's something going down in Missouri."

"What kind of something?" Sam asked, stifling a yawn. He was trying to smooth down his hair, but his attempts were in vain.

"He said he couldn't talk about it over the phone."

"Why?"

"Because he is… a weird guy, okay? He's a weird, dorky, little guy. But he happens to have an army of angels behind him and even though I hate to say it, if we're gonna take a shot at Metatron they might be useful."

A spark of annoyance pricked in you at Dean's words. Sure Cas was a dork, but he was a sweet guy and he cared about the Winchesters. Neither you nor Sam responded to Dean, who seemed antsy to leave. He scooped the First Blade up from the table, but Sam stared at him with concerned eyes.

"Do you think we need the First Blade? Why don't we just leave it here?"

Dean was suddenly defensive and you cringed at his tone. "We talked about this, and we decided that—"

"No," Sam cut him off, "In all fairness, we didn't decide. You did."

"Okay, I decided that a hockey stick that can kill anything might come in handy, so sue me."

Both brothers were getting worked up and tension was starting to crackle in the air. "I don't know Dean," you stepped in, "Maybe Sam's right on this one." He cut his eyes to you, but you continued, "Magic that powerful comes at a price, and right now we don't know what that price is."

Dean rolled his eyes at the both of you. "I'm fine. I'm fan-friggin'-tastic."

"We're glad, honestly," Sam interjected, "We're not saying we bury the thing. We're saying we just save it for when we really need it. Crowley. Metatron. The big boss fights. You don't have to have it with you all the time, right? I mean, just leave it. Please."

Setting the blade back on the table, Dean said, "Alright, alright. No problem."

"Thank you."

 **XXXX**

You, Dean and Sam stood outside a Colonel Scoop's. When you were younger, your mom used to bring you and your brothers to a Colonel Scoop's after soccer practice. You hadn't been to one in years, but you could still imagine the taste of your favourite flavor: cotton candy. You were always happy to go to Colonel Scoop's, but this particular Colonel Scoop's looked decidedly unhappy. The storefront windows had been smashed out completely, glass littered the street outside and the door hung crooked off its hinges.

The building was swarmed with cops. A deputy approached you, and the three of you went to pull out your badges when she suddenly held up her hand.

"Agents Spears and Aguilera? FBI?" She glanced at you before adding, "And you're their forensic consultant?"

A laugh caught in your throat. _Spears and Aguilera?_ You looked at the Winchesters, but soon realized that to be a bad idea when you saw their stricken faces. You couldn't smother the laugh and instead tried to cover it up by coughing.

The deputy stared at you with a questioning look as a dumbstruck Dean replied, "Uh-huh."

"Your partner said you'd be along." She glanced at you again, but you still couldn't wipe the smile off your face. Her brow furrowed as she said, "Sorry… I didn't get your name."

"Oh uh… Agent Wayne," you said, showing her your badge and trying not to laugh again. She waved the three of you on and Sam called a thank you over his shoulder.

If you thought the outside of the building had been bad, the inside was even worse. Glass littered the floor, chairs were toppled and melted ice-cream was pooled behind the counter. Bodies were also strewn around the restaurant, although most had been bagged already. In the middle of it all stood Cas talking to a sheriff. He turned around and your heart stuttered in your chest when his bright blue eyes met yours.

The last time you had seen those eyes was during a nightmare. Ever since you visited the crime scene of your shifter's most recent victims you kept dreaming of your dead brothers. And each night Cas would show up like a knight in shining armor, holding you as you sobbed.

You cleared your mind and brought your thoughts back to the present. Cas looked at three of you in turn before saying, "Thank you for coming."

"Spears and Aguilera?" Sam asked with a hint of annoyance. You grinned and couldn't help the snort that escaped. You were trying your best to keep from dissolving into giggles. Somehow a mass murder crime scene didn't seem like the appropriate setting.

"I've noticed your aliases are usually the names of popular musicians," Cas replied, winking at you. Your eyes widened in surprise as a blush tinted your cheeks. You glanced at the Winchesters, but they were too busy sharing an annoyed look to notice. You looked back to Cas and gave him a small smile.

His eyes warmed and you once again appreciated just how blue they were. Too soon for your liking, he turned around and motioned for the three of you to follow him. "Come here. Take a look at this." You approached a body on a gurney and the smile was immediately wiped off your face, all thoughts back on the case. The woman's eyes looked like they had liquefied in her head. "Look," Cas continued, "And the other bodies are the same—burnt out husks."

You glanced around the shop again, looking at all the other body bags. "Okay so, what is this, some sort of mass smiting?" Dean asked.

"I don't know what this was. Never seen anything like it," Cas replied, "Six humans died here… and one angel."

"One of yours?" Sam asked.

Cas nodded his head. "He was a good soldier. This attack…" He glanced around the room with sad eyes. "I knew he wanted a war, but this… this is abhorrent, even for him."

 **XXXX**

You walked into Cas' angel headquarters, momentarily distracted by the sounds and bustle of activity. A woman stood up when she saw the four of you enter the room. She had dark, shoulder length hair with bangs that framed her face and pale blue eyes. "Commander," she greeted.

Dean was walking beside you, on your right. You could hear him as he muttered under his breath, "Oh, it's just creepy." Slugging him on the shoulder, you gave him a pointed look before turning back to the new angel and plastering a smile on your face. Out of the corner of your eye you saw Dean rub his arm and couldn't help the feeling of satisfaction that filled you.

"Sam, Dean, Jayden, this is Hannah," Cas said, gesturing toward the angel.

"The Winchesters and Miss Montgomery – I've heard so much about you."

"What can I say?" Dean deadpanned, "Cas is a fan."

Another angel came forward and took the crime scene evidence from Cas. "I'll start to examine this, sir."

"Y—oh, um…" Dean spluttered. You could tell he was becoming annoyed, but threw him another pointed look. _Couldn't these Winchesters be polite for longer than two seconds?_ Sure, Cas had called the three of you in to work the case, but this angel was their brother, they had a right to help.

"Sir," Hannah started, "This morning, Josiah wasn't at roll call."

You shared a surprised glance with Sam. "Uh, roll call?" he questioned awkwardly, "You hold, uh, roll call?"

"They like to hear me say their names," Cas said nonchalantly.

You and Sam shared another dubious glance while Dean said, "I know a couple women like that."

Again, you slugged him in the shoulder. "Really Winchester? Was that necessary?"

Dean said nothing as he rubbed his arm again.

Hannah continued on as if nothing happened, "No one's seen Josiah since Ezra was murdered. We think that—"

Sam interrupted her before she could finish. "You think Josiah's the killer, that he's the mole?"

"Well, who else?" Hannah said, gesturing around the room, "We searched the grounds, but he's vanished."

"Not without wings," Dean interjected, "He's an angel, but he's still got to travel like he's a human, which means walk, drive – he's gonna leave a trail."

Sam pulled his laptop out of his bag, sitting at a desk and powering it on. "All right. What was his vessel's name?"

"Sean Flynn from Omaha," Cas answered.

Only a few seconds had passed before Sam turned the computer around. On the screen, was a picture of a man with dark hair. "This the guy?"

"Yeah, that's him."

"Alright. Looks like someone just used his credit card at a Gas-n-Sip in Colorado."

Dean looked smug as he faced Hannah. "And that's how we do things in the pros!"

You resisted the urge to slug him again and instead turned your attention to the angel who took the evidence. "Commander. I have something. This phone's memory chip has a video time stamped just before the explosion."

He played it back and you watched as a tall man walked into the Colonel Scoop's. He stopped in front of a booth in which a young girl sat. Ripping open his trench coat, he revealed an ancient sigil carved into his chest. Holding an angel blade over his own heart, he cried out, "I do this for Castiel!" Plunging the blade into his heart caused the whole shop to explode and the video to cut out.

You, Cas, Hannah, Dean and Sam stood there in shocked silence. "What the hell was that?" you whispered.

Cas continued to stare at the screen in horror as he answered, "I don't know. I don't – I would never ask an angel to sacrifice himself to kill innocents. I'm gonna be sick."

Sam's brow was furrowed in confusion. "Cas, why would an angel blow up a Colonel Scoop's in your name?"

"That's not what he was doing," Hannah said, "Roll it back." The other angel complied, pausing the video when the man stood in front of the young girl. "That was an angel," Hannah said, pointing at the girl, "Esther. She's one of Metatron's."

"So, this was some kind of hit?" Sam asked.

"I don't know," Cas replied, still horrified.

Dean's annoyance was growing. "Stop saying you don't know."

Cas stared at him in shock. "You can't think I would allow something like this?"

"Cas, I know you try to be a good guy, okay? I do. You try. But what you got here, this is a freakin' cult."

"Come on, Dean," you scoffed.

He ignored you and continued, "The last time you had this kind of juice, you did kill humans and angels, and you did nothing but lie to me and Sam about it the whole damn time!"

You had opened your mouth to try to stop Dean, but snapped it shut at his words. _Was that true? What had Cas done 'last time'?_ Sam cleared his throat and you glanced around the room, noticing the growing number of angels staring at the scene.

"Can we, uh – can we take this somewhere else, guys?"

The four of you spilled into Cas' office, while Sam glared at his brother. "Will you stow the baggage, Dean. Look, we've got a case. Let's work it." When Dean was silent, he turned to Cas. "Did you know the angel in that video?"

"Yes. His name was Oren. He was a new recruit. He worked in community outreach."

"What does that mean?" you asked.

"Some of my troops are stationed at a local hospital. They help where they can. Minor miracles – it's nothing that would attract attention."

"So, what was he doing in that video, with the stabbing?" Sam asked.

Cas sighed before answering, "The Enochian runes that were carved in his chest – I… I think that they were meant to focus energy. When he stabbed himself, it unleashed all that power."

"So, what about the girl? What happened to her?"

"If she was the target, if the blast was focused on her, then more likely than not, she – she was atomized." Cas still seemed sick just talking about the ordeal, but continued, "So, what do we do now?"

"Well, you don't do jack," Dean began, "Me and Sam will head to the hospital, see if we can find somebody who knew this… walking nuke."

"Hold on. These are my people. I can help," Cas protested.

"Well, that's sort of the problem. I mean, the Manson girls aren't gonna give us a straight answer with Charlie in the room, so just hang back."

"Oh, come on Dean," you said, "Like you wouldn't do the same if the situation were reversed?"

"No," Cas said, "If he doesn't want my help, then I will follow Josiah's trail to Colorado. I have to do something, Dean." Cas' gaze was icy, but he held his composure.

"Alright, fine," Dean huffed, "But Sam's coming with you."

"What?" Sam blurted out in surprise.

"Really Dean?" you said, rolling your eyes.

"Because you don't trust me?" Cas asked.

"To help."

 **XXXX**

You stood behind Dean, leaning against the wall of your makeshift interrogation room. He was seated across a dingy metal table from a female angel in a doctor's coat.

"What do I call you?" he asked.

She glanced at you, meeting your eyes, before looking back at Dean. "My angelic name is 18 syllables long. Let's stick with Flagstaff."

"Copy. So, you knew this Oren guy?"

"We worked together at the hospital. He was a joy – bright, full of life."

"Yeah, I hear he had a real explosive personality," Dean deadpanned.

She looked at you again and you could see the anger in her eyes. Not only that, but you could tell she was saddened by Oren's death. "Do you think this is a joke?" she sneered at Dean.

"Do you see me laughing? Is there anything else you can tell me about him? For example, why he'd light his own fuse?"

You looked to the ceiling and let out a sigh. This was not going well. It had been mere seconds and Dean had already pissed off this angel; she wasn't going to tell either of you anything more. "No," she answered, "Can I go? I have lives to say."

"Welcome to the club." Over Dean's shoulder you could see the smirk on her lips. "Something funny?" Dean asked. You could also hear the anger in his voice.

"Not funny 'ha-ha'. But you thinking you help people – it's amusing. I help people. A clogged artery here, a tumor there. I do good in this world. You – you believe every problem can be solved with a gun. You play the hero, but underneath the hype, you're a killer with oceans of blood on his hands. I hate men like you." She leaned back in her chair, staring at Dean with hatred in her eyes.

You held your breath and waited for Dean's response. This was for sure not going to end well. Dean was angry enough without being outright provoked. You watched as he stilled in his chair. One second went by, then another and you thought maybe he'd just walk away when suddenly he leapt to his feet and threw the table to the side.

You leapt into action, lunging for him. "Dean!" you cried.

He threw Flagstaff and her chair backwards, but caught them before they hit the ground, instantly holding an angel blade to her throat. You grabbed his arm and tried your best to pull the blade away from the terrified angel. "Dean, come on!" you wheezed, yanking on his arm.

He ignored you and leaned closer to the angel's face. "Honey, there ain't no other men like me."

"Don't… please," she begged, staring at Dean in terror. She glanced at you next and pleaded with her eyes. You pulled harder on his arm, but it was solid as a rock.

"Oren. Friends?" Dean demanded.

She wrenched her gaze away from yours, back to Dean. "Constantine… and Tessa."

Dean paused at the name, enabling you to pull his arm back. "Tessa? The reaper, Tessa?"

"You know this girl?" you asked, breathing heavily and still clutching his arm.

 **XXXX**

Dean had left nearly an hour ago to track down Tessa and still wasn't back. You had occupied your time by sitting down at an empty desk, breaking out your computer and hacking into the federal databases. After a week of failed attempts, you had finally done it… with a little help from some genius IT angel named Barman.

You were skimming through hundreds of suspicious deaths from the last two months when your ears picked up on the angels' conversation. "I know he's the commander's friend, and I know we're supposed to pretend we like him, but that ape put a knife to my throat."

You glanced up in time to see Flagstaff nervously peering over her shoulder as she whispered to Hannah and the angel that analyzed the video footage. You avoided her gaze and quickly looked back at your computer screen, straining your ears to hear more.

The door opened with a clang, effectively silencing the angels as Dean marched through the door with a dark-haired woman. When they noticed the handcuffs circling the woman's wrists, the angels eyed Dean with suspicion and distrust.

"Dean?" you whispered, scurrying over to them and giving him a pointed look. "These angels already don't like you and this kinda looks bad. What the hell is going on?"

"Tessa?" Hannah said louder, walking up to the three of you, "What are you doing?"

"You want to tell her?" Dean asked, glaring at the woman you presumed to be Tessa.

She kept her mouth shut though, staring at Dean in defiance. When she didn't reply, he pulled back the top of her shirt, revealing the same sigil as the one carved into the bomber angel. There was an obvious gash cut through the middle in which Dean had done to mark it out and counteract the effects.

"Oh God," Hannah gasped in horror.

Tessa suddenly spoke. "There's no God. There's only Castiel."

"Oh and you're done," Dean said with a tone of finality as you winced, watching Hannah's eyes widen in surprise. Dean grabbed Tessa's arm and dragged her away, you following a couple steps behind.

"Dean," you whispered through clenched teeth, "These angels are pissed and they don't trust you for a second. You gotta be level-headed and careful about this."

"I've got it handled," he said, shoving Tessa into the makeshift interrogation room and closing the door.

"Okay, right. I feel so reassured now," you replied sarcastically.

Suddenly Hannah was beside you, looking accusingly at Dean. "You wounded her."

"More like 'defused' okay?" he replied, "I cut up that old testament graffiti she carved into herself. I figured that would break the spell."

A whole group of angels surrounded the three of you in the hallway. The man from before, the evidence analysis angel asked, "And now… what will you do to her?"

Dean stared at the angel in question and slowly reached into his jacket. He pulled out a shiny, silver angel blade and raised his eyebrows. "Guess."

You looked around at each of the angels. They looked angry. You knew they didn't like Dean… they probably didn't even like you… but this wasn't helping. Flagstaff rolled her eyes. "Torture. Predictable," she deadpanned.

"We need to know if there are other bombers out there."

"No," Hannah said, "I won't allow it. I know what Tessa was planning. It's horrible, but there's only one person who can punish her."

"Let me guess," Dean huffed, "Yea big," he held his left hand up to his shoulders, "trench coat, sensible shoes?"

Hannah rolled her shoulders back and stared at Dean. "You have to understand that Castiel is the only thing holding us together. A month ago, half the angels in this place were trying to kill the other half. Castiel has given us a purpose. But more than that, he has given up a way to live in peace. We have rules. Order. If I let you take matters into your own hands, what's to stop one of them from doing the same? You can talk to her. You should talk to her. But leave the blade outside."

Frankly, you were impressed with the angel. She wasn't taking any of Dean's shit. Sure, it was gonna piss him off, but she had a whole angel army to run. She was right; she couldn't very well let him break the rules while everyone else watched.

"Are you asking or telling?" Dean asked.

The man angel spoke up again, "We're not asking."

You rolled your eyes at him. You could respect Hannah, she was a good leader, but this guy was just annoying.

Dean stared evenly at all the angels before holding your gaze. You just shrugged your shoulders and looked pointedly from the blade to Hannah. You knew Dean was pissed that these angels got the best of him, but he didn't show it. Instead, he smoothly flipped the blade, offering the handle to Hannah. She grabbed it and he turned around, walking calmly into the interrogation room.

The angels all stood frozen for a moment before breaking into whispers.

"Really?" you said loudly, trying to address them all, "Don't you people have jobs to do or something?" Some threw you scathing looks, but you were quickly becoming fed up with all the angel drama. Eventually, they all left except for Hannah.

"I should go in there with him to keep an eye on things."

"Sure," you sighed, "Knock yourself out."

 **XXXX**

You had seated yourself on the floor in the hallway across from the interrogation room. Your computer was opened on your lap and you were surfing through the list of suspicious deaths you had retrieved from the federal police database. There were so many though—too many. Looking through all of these was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Now you were just frustrated. You had thought hacking the federal police database would be a great idea, but it just lead to even more work and more questions. Stewing in irritation, you decided to just search the Price's murder files.

There was a file about you, but you skimmed past it, uninterested. Your eyes caught on something else instead. Apparently, someone had the common sense to enter your shifter witness' information into the computer before they lost their paperwork. Excitement coursed through you at the thought of a lead, but when you clicked on Nestor Keller's file, an error message popped up.

ERROR 4401: File not found

"Ugggh!" you cried out, shoving the computer away from you. Disappointment flooded you as you sat there, staring at the screen. "God dammit!"

An angel walking past threw you a dirty look, but you didn't care about being polite anymore. You were so close to your shifter… you always seemed so close, and then something would come up and he'd slip through your fingers. That slippery little bastard knew how to cover his tracks.

Another pair of feet padded down the hallway and you glanced up, prepared to throw the new angel a dirty look. Instead, your eyes widened when you saw Barman, the IT angel from before. "Hey!" you said, excitement once again coursing through you. "Do you think you might be able to help me with something?"

"Depends what it is," he said, continuing down the hallway.

You grabbed your computer and scurried after him. "I'm trying to look at some files but when I click on it an error message pops up saying the file can't be found. I figure there's got to be a backup copy or a record of it somewhere… after all, once you post something online, it can never really be deleted, right?"

"I suppose that's true," he replied, disinterestedly.

"So can you help me at all?" He didn't reply, but kept walking. "Please! I'll do anything!"

He stopped suddenly and you nearly ran into him. Tightening your grip on your computer, you looked up at him. "I want Dean Winchester gone."

You stared at the angel in horror. "Gone as in…?"

"Gone as in anywhere but here. I don't want him nosing around in our business any longer and neither do any of the other angels. I've got nothing against you and I'm glad to help, but I want Dean Winchester gone."

You let out a sigh of relief. "Alright, consider it done Barman. If you help me, I'll make sure Dean and Sam Winchester leave here and never come back." You held out your free hand and the angel shook it without hesitation. You handed over your computer also and turned to head back towards the interrogation room to check on things when there was sudden commotion from the hallway. Your stomach dropped when four angels ran towards it. _What did you do now, Winchester?_

You hurried down the hallway, but couldn't see anything past the mass of angels. Elbowing your way through, you stopped short when you stepped into the room. Tessa was lying dead on the floor, blood seeping from a wound in her stomach while Dean stood, clutching the Frist Blade. You glanced from him to Tessa's body and back to him. "Dean, what did you do?" Hannah stood beside you, too shocked to speak.

He opened his mouth to speak, but an angel behind you suddenly said, "Enough! I don't care if they're the commander's friends, these two can't be trusted! We need to do something. We can't let them walk around doing whatever and killing whoever they like."

You looked at Dean with wide eyes as he tightened his fist around the blade. _He's not actually gonna fight all these angels… is he?_ The angels moved forward as one while Hannah stepped aside.

Before you even knew what happened, Dean threw the first punch and the hoard of angels descended upon the both of you. In no time, you were pinned to the ground, lying on your stomach. Your cheek was pressed to the floor as a knee jabbed you between the shoulders, making it difficult to breathe. Several hands held your legs down as another angel shackled your wrists in handcuffs.

Turning your head, you saw Dean in the same shape. A couple angels around him were sporting bloody lips and even a broken nose. Dean's own nose bled as he stared back at you. _Cas was not going to be happy about this._

 **XXXX**

You and Dean sat shackled to chairs in the interrogation room. Duct tape covered your mouths and you yanked on your handcuffs, glaring at Dean in the gloomy little room.

Suddenly, the door opened and Hannah, Sam and Castiel spilled in. "He put up a fight," she said pointing to Dean.

"Get out," Cas ordered. He glanced at you with concerned eyes. Sam moved quickly to Dean, ripping off the duct tape before turning to you and doing the same.

"You should have seen the other ten guys," Dean joked.

You stared daggers at the older Winchester. "Really? You think this is a good time for a joke?"

"They say you killed Tessa?" Cas asked, looking at Dean. He took a key from his pocket and made his way to your side. He glanced at you again as he started on the handcuffs. Turning his attention to Dean, he waited for an answer.

"Not so much. She knifed herself."

Cas tossed the key to Sam, who started on Dean's restraints. "Yeah? Why would she do that, Dean?"

You rubbed your wrists as Cas rested a hand on your arm. He looked at you with concerned eyes, silently asking if you were okay. You shook your head as Dean replied, "I don't know, Sam. She was saying all kinds of crap."

"So that's why you brought out the First Blade?"

"They told you about that, huh?" Dean looked marginally sheepish.

"We had a deal," Sam said.

The older Winchester was suddenly angry. "Yeah, well, it was a stupid idea," he spit out.

"Really?" Sam said, getting defensive, "'Cause if you'd stuck to it, Tessa would still be alive. Without her, we ain't got jack."

"Yeah, you think I don't know that? You think I wanted that to happen?"

"I don't know, Dean. Did you?"

"Alright, that's enough," Cas stepped in, "Stop it."

Hannah opened the door again, stepping in. "Commander, I'm sorry, but you have a call… from Metatron."

Cas glanced at you then the Winchesters who were still staring heatedly at each other. He turned on his heel and marched out the door, leaving the three of you to follow behind. When you emerged back into the war room, the angels cleared a path to a computer on which a man you presumed to be Metatron waited patiently.

He was a lot less impressive than you imagined. He was short and fat with curly, greying hair and a scruffy beard. He wore regular clothing and looked smug, as if he had the upper hand. _This little twat is supposed to be Metatron?_

"Castiel. Bet you're not happy to see me."

Dean stood behind you. "Is anyone ever?" he spit out.

"Dean, always with the B-grade '80s action movie wit."

"What do you want, Metatron?" Sam cut him off.

"Just to tell ass-tiel there, that I'm still alive. His bomber failed."

Cas' back was facing you, but you could hear the confusion in his voice. "My bomber?"

"The crazy guy. Big knife. Kablooey. I'm fine, thanks for asking, but Gadreel is wounded… and Tyrus – R.I.P. His followers are not your biggest fans, by the way. They've all come to my team."

"I didn't send anyone to kill you."

"Oh stop lying, Castiel."

"Who are you to lecture me on lying?" Cas asked, suddenly angry. "Your deception led to the fall."

"I did what I had to do. I have always done what I have to do, for God and for the angels."

Dean scoffed. "Sure. Yeah, you're Mother Teresa with neck beard."

"What I did was neither good nor bad. It was necessary – a small hardship to make us all stronger, to make us a family again."

"Yeah, except for the angels you had Gadreel kill," Sam spit at him.

"Okay, yes. Maybe I got a little carried away at first, but those days are over. A near-death experience makes you re-evaluate. So, one time only, I'm offering amnesty. Every angel, no matter what their sin, may join me and return to heaven. I will be their God and they can be my heavenly host."

Hannah stepped forward. "Why would we follow you?"

"Well, look around. You've seen earth. You've had a taste of free will. I got to ask you – do you like it? I mean, the way you've flocked to follow Castiel tells me you need to follow someone. It's in your DNA. But Cas – he's not what you think he is. He sends angels out to die. Have you told them about your stolen grace, Castiel? How it's fading away and when it burns out, so will you? So… No, then," he said, looking at the angels' shocked faces. "I'm not the best, but I'm the best you've got. You want to stay with Castiel, fine, but he's playing you, because at the end of the day, the only thing he cares about is himself, the Hardy boys and their new friend Nancy Drew there. You've got a choice to make. Make the right one."

The screen went black and the war room was silent. The angels held their breath collectively as Cas turned around to face them. "He's lying."

"About the grace?" Hannah asked.

Cas looked at the floor. "It's complicated."

"So he wasn't lying."

Things were spirally so quickly out of control. Cas was desperate as he said, "He was about everything else. He… you believe me, don't you?"

"I want to believe you, but I… we need proof," she said firmly.

"Name it."

"Punish him," she said, turning and pointing at Dean.

Your eyes widened as you looked at Dean. "What?"

"He murdered Tessa. He broke our rules."

Looking affronted, Dean spit out, "Y'all can all go to hell." He turned as if to leave, but two angels grabbed his arms, pinning them behind him. He shoved them, but they held steady.

"Hey!" you said, moving towards them. An angel grabbed your arm, but you shook it off and reached out to Dean. Another angel suddenly stepped towards you, grabbing your hand and twisting it behind your back. Wincing in pain, you tried to elbow him, but the first angel grabbed your other arm. You tried to shake them off, but they tightened their hold. Instead, you looked to Sam but he was subdued by angels too.

"You gave us order, Castiel," Hannah began, "and we gave you our trust. Don't lose it over one man." She pulled a shiny angel blade out of her jacket, flipping the handle towards Cas. "This is justice."

Cas took the blade and held it lightly in his hand. He looked at the blade to Dean and back to the blade.

"Cas," you pleaded, "You can't seriously—" Suddenly a hand covered your mouth.

He glanced at you and the turmoil in his eyes nearly broke your heart. You knew this angel army meant everything to him. After all, these people were his family and his only way of getting back to heaven, his home. You also hoped though, that Cas considered the three of you family. If he loved Dean as much as you did, he wouldn't be able to kill him.

He tightened his hand on the blade and Dean stared at him in shock. Cas made his decision. He lifted the blade and stabbed it into the surface of the desk. "I can't," he said looking at the floor.

"Goodbye, Castiel."

The angels began quietly filing out of the war room. Barman was trying to catch your eye. You frowned at him, but he ignored it, instead staring pointedly at a desk. On it sat your computer and a note.

 _ **Found the file, but whoever deleted it, set up a fail-safe. If anyone were to ever recover the file, which I did, they would be notified. If you're looking for that man and he's the one who deleted the file, then he knows you're looking for him.**_

You stared at the note with a mixture of excitement and dread. You had info on the shifter… except now he knew you were onto him. You looked up again at the empty room where three disappointed faces stared back at you.

 **XXXX**

The impala was silent on the ride home. Dean drove, gripping the steering wheel tightly, while Sam sat beside him; not even music was playing. Cas sat next to you, staring out the window in disappointment. His hand lay on the seat between you.

You don't know what overcame you, but you reached across the seat and squeezed it. You glanced up at him, but he didn't seem to notice and kept staring out the window. Trying to hide your disappointment, you made to pull your hand away, but Cas snatched it back, intertwining your fingers. He never looked away from the window as his giant hand engulfed your tiny one. You sat back in your seat and smiled at the stars for the second time in your life.

 **XXXX**

The four of you entered the bunker still in silence. No one had spoken since you left the war room and you wondered if anyone ever would again. Suddenly, Sam cleared his throat. "So, Dean, uh… are we gonna talk about this, or what?"

 _Crap._ You hated being part of the Winchester's drama and desperately looked for a way to escape.

"About what?" Dean asked, "Yeah, I lied, but you were being an infant."

"Wow. Even for you, that apology sucked."

You flicked your eyes around the room, when they landed on the kitchen. "Does anyone want some tea?" you blurted out, "I think I'm gonna make some tea. Cas?" He glanced at you in bemusement when you remembered, "Oh right, no food, molecule flavoured things suck. I'm just gonna be in the kitchen if anyone needs me." The Winchesters ignored you and you scurried away, throwing Cas an apologetic look over your shoulder.

You let out a sigh of relief as you entered the kitchen. You scooped up the kettle and filled it with water, but when you turned around the place it on the stove, you stopped short. A man was standing in the middle of the kitchen.

You dropped the kettle in surprise, water rushing all over the floor, soaking through your shoes. "What the hell, Gadreel? How'd you get in here?" you asked, ignoring your wet socks and whipping a knife out of your waistband.

"I'm not here to fight."

"You know what, somehow, I'm not sure I believe you." You slowly backed out of the kitchen, Gadreel moving forward with you. You kept your eyes locked on him as you called out, "Guys!"

Sam, Dean and Cas were at your side in an instant.

Gadreel stared at Cas. "I thought about what you said. You're right. Metatron, he's… something needs to be done."

"And we should trust you why?" Sam asked.

"Because I can give him to you. I know where Metatron is. I know everything. I know the bombers. They were his agents, not yours. You don't trust me, fine. I understand. I've… made mistakes. But haven't you? Haven't we all? At least give me a chance."

Dean and Sam exchanged a look as Cas evaluated Gadreel. Sam didn't look necessarily convinced, but tipped his head as if to say, we could give this a shot. Dean stepped forward and extended his left hand. Gadreel stared at it for a moment before grasping it with his own. Time seemed to slow down as Dean suddenly yanked the First Blade out of his jacket and slashed Gadreel across the chest.

Sam and Cas leapt at him, holding him back as he lunged at Gadreel again. Gadreel fell heavily to the floor, bleeding profusely from his chest. You fell to your knees beside him, removing your own jacket and balling it up to apply pressure to his chest. You kneeled over him, trying to stop the bleeding as Sam and Cas dragged Dean away.


	15. The End of a War

I'm sorry this took so long to upload, I had four midterms in the last two weeks and haven't had any time for anything else. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and it was worth the wait!

Surprisingly enough, I still don't own Supernatural.

 **XXXX**

Sam and Cas had dragged Dean away to God knew where while you sat beside a bleeding Gadreel. He looked stricken and panicked, clutching his chest. You were trying to help, but sewing up wounds made you sick and dizzy. Feeling panicked, you removed your jacket with shaking hands to look at his wound. "Okay, okay… everything's going to be okay. There's a first aid kit around here somewhere, I'm sure. I'll just… I'll just sew you up."

The wound was large and deep. Blood seeped from between your fingers but so did a light blue wispy substance. It felt like warm air brushing across your knuckles. You paused, breathing deeply and trying to calm your stomach. Yes, you were a hunter and could handle killing a couple monsters, but healing wounds seemed an entirely different matter. Ripping your gaze away, you tried to search for a first aid kit. "You're gonna be okay…" you said absentmindedly.

Gadreel didn't seem to hear you as he shook his head in panic. "No, no… I'll leave you alone, I promise. Just… just…"

"No, listen to me, we're gonna fix—" He raised a hand and grabbed your wrist. As soon as his skin touched yours, everything went black.

 **XXXX**

"Jayden?"

You could hear someone talking, but they sounded far away. It felt as if your ears had been stuffed with cotton and you tried to open your eyes, but your lids were too heavy.

Suddenly, a stinging pain bloomed across your cheek and your eyes flew open. "What was that?" you asked, sitting up and staring at Sam and Cas in confusion .

Sam still held his palm open as he sheepishly said, "I slapped you."

"I feel it, thanks," you complained, rubbing your cheek. "What happened?"

You looked around the room, noticing the blood pooled on the floor. Your jacket was soaked with it too, lying a few feet away, and you looked down at your body in a panic, but everything seemed fine. You followed the trail of blood to the open door and everything clicked into place. "Where's Gadreel?" you asked, locking eyes with Cas.

"He left."

"I was trying to help him, I swear," you said, "But he thought I was going to hurt him or something. He told me he'd leave us alone. Next thing I knew, he grabbed my wrist and I was out cold."

"We have to find him," Sam said, glancing over his shoulder at Cas.

You nodded your head along with Cas. "You two go, I'll stay here and keep an eye on Dean."

Sam went to the kitchen and grabbed some ice. "Here," he said, handing it to you. "For your cheek. Don't let Dean out of the dungeon."

 **XXXX**

You went back to the kitchen and cleaned up all the water you had spilt earlier. Refilling the kettle, you set it back on the stove to boil. You sat down at the table with your computer. Crumpling the note, you put it in your pocket and turned your attention to Nestor Keller's file. With this file, you had a record of every car he ever drove, every place he ever lived and every credit card he ever used.

You doubted the shifter really used a home address, but everyone needed to use money, right? His credit card was last used at a motel in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. That was only ten hours from here. Sure, it gave your shifter a long head start, but this was the closest you had ever been to catching him. You finally had the upper hand.

The kettle boiled and you got up to pour yourself a cup of tea, but paused. _What was that smell?_ you wondered, sniffing the air. Your eyes widened and your muscles tensed when you realized what it was. _Sulfur._

You grabbed your knife and ran into the main room of the bunker in time to see Crowley standing over an opened box, holding the first blade.

"You?" you said, catching his attention. His eye widened in surprise as you drew your arm back and threw your knife at him. It flashed through the air, but Crowley was already gone. The knife stuck in the bookshelf, quivering, behind the spot he had just been standing.

"Oh shit, no, no, no…" you said, running to the dungeon. You had a bad feeling about this, which was confirmed when you wrenched open the door to an empty dungeon. The remnants of a summoning spell were scattered across the floor.

"Dean Winchester, what did you do?"

 **XXXX**

"Jayden?" you heard from somewhere in the bunker.

Sam and Cas were back. Dean was gone with Crowley and all you had to show for it was a knife in a bookshelf and the remains of a summoning spell. You closed the door to the dungeon and made your way back to the main room of the bunker.

You walked into the room, and three men looked at you. They had found Gadreel apparently and Cas had been able to heal him you noticed, eyeing his newly mended chest. Sam looked at you with a mixture of concern and confusion as he asked, "Why does it smell like sulfur in here?"

"Because of Crowley," you sighed. "He showed up, snatched the First Blade and helped Dean escape. Leftovers from the summoning spell are still in the dungeon."

Sam's face fell as you looked to Cas. "Are you sure it was Crowley?" he asked.

"I think I can recognize the king of hell in my own home, thanks."

"She's right," Sam said, "Who else would he summon? I mean, he and Crowley have been bromancing over the Blade ever since Dean got the mark."

"The mark?" Gadreel asked. You glanced at him, but he wasn't looking at you.

"The mark of Cain," Cas said.

"So that's what Dean cut me with – the First Blade." He paused before adding, "In a way, that could be useful." He glanced up to meet your eyes this time, looking slightly sheepish.

"What?" Sam blurted out.

"Well, Metatron is more powerful than ever, but if Dean has the First Blade and the mark, that might give us our best chance."

You and Cas shared a look. You both knew it was the best shot you had, but Sam wasn't going to like the idea. "You're joking, right?" he said, "An hour ago, we were ready to throw Dean into a padded cell, and now you say he's our best chance?"

You and Cas shared another look before he said very quietly, "Hear him out, Sam."

"Oh right. Excuse me. Sorry guys. Uh, sorry that I'm a little less than eager to hear that our best chance is… is arming the warhead and hoping it hits the mark. This is not a bomb we're talking about. This is my brother."

You cringed at his words, feeling guilty, but still, you agreed with Cas and Gadreel. Dean was your best shot. "Your brother would not be in this alone," Gadreel said, "We can help."

"How?" Sam asked, still looking less than impressed.

"I believe Metatron has found a way to tap into the angel tablet, harnessing its power to give him powers equivalent to—"

"God, right?" Sam cut in, "I mean, that's what this is all about, isn't it? Metatron wants to be God." Gadreel nodded and Sam continued, "Great, well, that basically makes him unstoppable."

"Not if we can break the connection between Metatron and the tablet, right?" you asked, glancing at the angels for confirmation.

Cas nodded his head. "That would make him just an ordinary angel. Where's the tablet?"

"Metatron's office."

You heart sunk at Gadreel's words. "In heaven?" you asked.

"I can get us to the door."

"And then what?" Sam asked. "I mean, why would they let you in? If Metatron's number two shows up with heaven's most wanted" – he motioned to Cas – "the gig is up." You heart sunk even further. Cas couldn't go to heaven… all of the angels hated him. Who knows what they would do to him if they found him.

Cas looked serious as he said, "Sam, we have to try." When Sam didn't protest, Cas turned to Gadreel. "Come on, let's go."

Your heart stuttered in your chest. "Wait," you blurted out, surprising yourself and the three other men in the room. Your cheeks heated as they gazed at you in confusion. "You… you can't go now… we don't even have a plan."

Cas' eyes seemed to soften as he looked at you but he had made up his mind. "We'll figure something out."

"No," you said, more forcefully this time, taking a step towards Cas. "Sam's right. Those angels hate you, and as soon as they see the two of you together, they'll know something's up. You can't just wing it and hope everything turns out okay. If something—" you stopped short, surprised at what you were about to say. _If something happened to you, I don't know what I'd do._

Cas took two purposeful steps towards you before he thought better of himself and shook his head. Something is his face changed and he suddenly looked like the Cas from your dreams, the one who'd cradle you in his arms as you cried. "This is our only chance, Jayden. Metatron left heaven, his office is empty and Dean is out there doing who knows what. We need to sever Metatron's connection to the angel tablet before Dean finds him."

You searched Cas' face, stepping closer to him. He was now within arm's reach, but you weren't sure if you wanted to hug him or punch him. You knew what he was saying made sense, that helping Dean was your best chance, but you couldn't let Cas walk straight into danger like that. "What about the other angels though?" you asked, "Who knows what they'll do to you if they catch you?"

"This is about more than just me!" he cried in frustration, "This is about helping Dean. It's about all the other angels. Those are my brothers and sisters! Metatron isn't God and they deserve to know the truth about him! He needs to be stopped!"

Cas stared at you, his chest heaving. You looked back at him, surprised by his outburst, but his gaze remained determined. Knowing you couldn't say anything to change his mind; you stepped forward, closing the distance between you and grabbing the lapels of his jacket, balling them in your fists. You weren't even sure what you were doing, you moved without thinking. It was his turn to look at you in surprise. "Why do you have to be so damn selfless?" you whispered before pulling his lips down to yours.

He stood frozen as you crushed your lips to his, but you were undeterred. You were still confused about your feelings for the angel, but knew you had to do this before he left… you couldn't stand it if this was the last time you saw him.

It was only a moment before Cas came to life, reciprocating the kiss and grabbing your waist, pulling your closer and pressing your hips against his own. He held you so tight; you knew there'd be bruises. Your teeth clashed against his as your lips fought for dominance. You wound your fingers in his hair, knotting it and pulling his head even closer to yours. His hands moved to your back, pressing the two of you even closer together until all your senses were completely overwhelmed by the angel.

Nothing about the kiss was sweet. It was desperate and charged with passion and frustration. You wanted Cas to come back from heaven in one piece, you _needed_ him to come back. Losing your family had shattered your heart into a million pieces and so you had built a safe around it, vowing to never let anyone get that close again. Somehow and without your notice, Cas had managed to slip through… as had the Winchesters. The three of them had become your family and you couldn't bear to lose them.

With that sudden realization, you pulled away from Cas and tried to catch your breath. You were overwhelmed by his scent. He smelled like a mixture of sandalwood and soap, but mostly like the smell right after a heavy rainfall: sweet and fresh, just like in your dreams.

Your eyes sprang open but Cas was gone. So was Gadreel. You looked to the ceiling of the bunker and let out a frustrated sigh, before turning to Sam who stared at you, open mouthed. You narrowed your eyes at him. "You didn't see anything, Winchester."

He closed his mouth abruptly and nodded his head, dumbstruck. You whirled around and made your way to the garage. _Please let him be okay._

 **XXXX**

You had been driving for twenty minutes, following the GPS signal of Dean's phone. Sam kept giving you the side-eye but you ignored him as best you could. He turned to you suddenly and opened his mouth to speak, but you cut him off. "Whatever you're about to say had better not include angels or kissing."

Sam snorted and shook his head. "I haven't a clue what you're talking about," he smirked.

"Good answer, Winchester."

The smile was wiped off Sam's face when he pulled something out of his jacket. "I was actually gonna ask you about this," he said, holding up a piece of paper.

You tore your eyes away from the road for a moment to look at what he was holding. It was the note the angel, Barman, had left for you concerning your shifter and his deleted file. Your heart skipped a beat at the sight, but your face remained impassive. "That's nothing," you said, looking back to the road.

Sam was quiet for a moment, continuing to stare at you. "I don't believe you," he finally said. "I found it in the bunker before we left."

"What's not to believe?" you snapped. You took a quick, steadying breath before calmly continuing, "I don't know what that is, so it's nothing."

"And here I counted on you to always be honest. I know you're not telling me the truth, Jayden. Your poker face is good… too good. As soon as you saw this note, you clammed up. There was no emotion on your face whatsoever. What file is this talking about and who are you looking for?" His eyes widened at his last words. "It's the shifter, isn't it?"

You stared straight ahead, not saying anything. Still, Sam wouldn't stop looking at you and finally you turned towards him, letting out a frustrated huff. "Fine. I was looking for the shifter. And I was so damn close. While we were in Cas' angel HQ I had some tech genius angel, Barman, help me hack into the federal police database. I looked up the info of the shifter when he pretended to be a witness and found his file, but it was deleted. Barman helped me recover it, but when he did that, it alerted the shifter that I was looking for him."

Sam's eyes had softened throughout your confession, and the sadness in them caused you to turn away. "Why aren't you going after him then? I know how important this it to you. Dean, Cas and I can take care of this on our own."

You glanced back towards him, but his eyes still looked at you with concern. You stared straight ahead at the road and thought back to your earlier realization. "Listen Sam… I want to find that shifter, I have for the last seven years because it killed my family. But now… now you, Dean and Cas are my family. I can't undo the past and save my parents and brothers, but I can help the three of you right now and make sure you make it through this alive."

"But he'll know you're after him now, your lead is gone."

"I don't care, Sam! I'll find another lead someday, but right now you, Dean and Cas are the most important people in my life. You guys come first." You couldn't look at Sam as you confessed your feelings. This was the most honest you had been with yourself, let alone another person. But the moment you said the words aloud, you knew they were true.

Sam was silent for a long time. In a very small voice, he finally said, "You're part of our family now too, Jayden. We'd do anything for you, which is why we're gonna help you find that shifter when all this is over."

Your heart warmed at his words. "Thanks Sam, that means a lot to me," you said, finally looking at him. He looked so concerned and earnest that you couldn't help the affectionate smile that played across your lips. He nodded his head once and you both went back to looking out the window.

 **XXXX**

You had only been driving for another twenty minutes when Sam suddenly told you to pull over. He showed you a viral video of Metatron, newly known as Marv, bringing a woman back from the dead after being hit by a car. He bent down to whisper something in her ear, before disappearing into the crowd. You and Sam had shared a look before silently agreeing to follow this lead.

The two of you had just finished talking to the woman from the video and were exiting her trailer, when Sam suddenly stopped. You ran into his back with a muffled "oof" before peering around his broad shoulders. Dean stood a couple feet away. The impala gleamed in the sun behind him as Crowley hovered near the passenger door.

You stepped forward, beside Sam, and narrowed your eyes at the older Winchester. You could hear the anger in Sam's voice as he spoke. "I guess some of us don't need a demon to help follow a clue trail. You're looking for miracle lady, right? Yeah, she's gone. We had a nice chat with her though."

Dean rolled his eyes before replying. "Whatever kind of intervention you two think this is, trust me, it ain't. I'm not gonna explain myself to you."

"Yeah, I sort of got that. We just thought you might like to know that while you two have been playing odd couple, your real friends, like Cas, like the angel you stabbed, Gadreel – they're out there right now risking their asses to help you win this fight." Your heart fluttered at the mention of Cas' name, but you ignored it, focusing instead on Dean.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he barked.

"A fight, I might add, you made that much more complicated when you decided to stab the one angel who could actually get us Metatron."

Dean's anger flared. "You mean the angel that took you for a joy ride? The angel that slaughtered Kevin? That angel?"

"Who you let in the door in the first place!" Sam exploded, "You tricked me, Dean. And now I'm the one who wakes up in the middle of the night seeing my hands killing Kevin, not you. So, please, when you say you don't want to explain anything to me, don't. I get it. And I also get that Metatron has to go. And I know you're our best shot to do that."

"I'm gonna take my shot, for better or worse," Dean said, eyeing the both of you.

You let out a sigh, looking between the two Winchesters before saying, "We know, Dean."

He cut his gaze to you. "No matter the consequences."

"We know. But if this is it, we're gonna do it together." You paused and looked to Sam, who nodded at you, encouraging you to continue. "You want to know what he whispered to her right… in the video?" you asked, looking back to Dean. "It was his next stop."

Suddenly, Crowley spoke up. "So what are we all golly wagging about? Chop-chop." The Winchesters both turned towards him with identical looks of disdain. He read their expressions before adding, "Excuse me, but I'm not exactly demon minion #3 here. As the kids say, I've got mad skills."

"Look," Dean started, gesturing to Crowley and giving him a pointed look, "I don't know what you expected here, okay. I don't really care, but you wanted off the hamster wheel. Get off."

"Well, I guess I've been Winchestered. I'd wish the three of you good luck… if I thought it would help." His voice was tight, and with that, he was gone. You, Sam and Dean were left standing around the impala, staring at each other.

 **XXXX**

You jogged back to the impala and walked around it to stand in front of the Winchesters. They leaned back against the trunk and watched as you approached.

"Anything?" Dean asked.

You paused for a moment to catch your breath. "Uh, yeah. He's up there. About a mile up the road, there's a homeless encampment. They way they're talking, he's got them convinced he's some kind of new Jesus or something."

Dean nodded his head silently, while Sam looked you over. "You good?"

Your breathing was starting to even out. "Yeah, I'm good."

He nodded his head curtly and stood up suddenly, before turning around and picking up the First Blade to hand to Dean.

"Listen, Sammy," Dean started, taking the ancient knife. He glanced at you, "and Jayden. About, um, you know… the last couple months…"

"I know," Sam said, "So before we find something else to fight about… tell me… are you ready to gut this bitch?"

You couldn't help the upturn of the corners of your mouth. This was how it was supposed to be. The three of you against the odds. Dean nodded and Sam let out a smile before picking up his bag from the trunk of the impala.

Before you had time to react, Dean lunged forward, blindsiding Sam and punching him in the face. Sam grunted before his unconscious body fell to the ground with a hollow thud and a cloud of dust. You stared at it in shock as Dean turned towards you. "What the hell are you doing?" you cried, glancing at the older Winchester.

He took a couple steps toward you, but you backed away. "I've got to do this alone."

"We're doing this together, we want to help," you said, ducking a punch. You tried to sidestep out of his reach, but he was too fast. He grabbed your shoulders, spun you around and brought you to the ground before you even really knew what happened. You didn't have the heart to fight Dean and couldn't quite believe this was happening.

He straddled you, pinning your arms down with his knees. "Sorry, Jayden, but this isn't your fight."

"Dammit Dean!" you yelled at him, trying to wriggle your arms free to block your face. He pulled back his fist and struck you in the face. You looked up at the sky, but the stars had winked out. Everything went black.

 **XXXX**

You groaned and squeezed your eyes shut tighter. You reached a hand up and touched your forehead, just above your left eye but flinched. It was swollen and your whole head was throbbing. You groaned again and opened your eyes, momentarily distracted by the glittering stars. They made you think of Cas and your heart warmed.

You shook your head, clearing thoughts of the angel and trying to think back and remember what happened, but you couldn't quite collect your thoughts. You turned your head to the side and noticed another body lying on the ground beside you. "Sam?" you guessed, judging by the length of his hair.

He remained motionless so you dragged yourself up to your hands and knees. "Sam?" you tried again. Still nothing. Crawling over to him, you clutched his arm and shook it. "Sam!" you said, more forcefully this time. Still nothing. You sat back on your knees and brought your hand back before slapping him across the face, leaving a harsh red handprint on his right cheek. His eyes flew open and he sucked in a startled breath.

Wide eyes looked around in confusion, before coming to rest on your face. "Jayden?"

"We're even now, Winchester," you said motioning to his face.

He rubbed his cheek and sat up, "What happened? Where's Dean?"

Your stomach dropped at the mention of the older Winchester. You and Sam stared at each other with identical looks of horror. "No," you whispered to yourself.

"We need to find Metatron." Sam clambered to his feet, helping you up after him. Your head still throbbed, but at least you weren't dizzy. You checked your waistband for the angel blade Cas had given you, relieved it was still there. Sam grabbed his bag from the trunk of the impala and the two of you shared a nod before taking off toward the homeless encampment.

 **XXXX**

You and Sam came upon the camp quickly. You took in the scene before you, watching as people emerged from the shadows. They appeared as if summoned from the depths of hell. Their faces were gaunt and their clothing haggard. A crowd had quickly gathered in front of the two of you, but Sam called out, "Stay back. Stay back! Where's Metatron?!" He swept his gun through the crowd.

Most of them appeared frightened and backed off. That was when you noticed the heap on the ground. It looked suspiciously like a body hidden under a blanket. Upon closer inspection you noticed an angel blade sticking out of the top of it. "Sam," you called, pointedly looking at the heap.

His eyes widened with panic before cutting back to yours. He stared at the warehouse on the far side of the camp. "I'll take the front, you take the back."

You nodded your head curtly to show you understood and then turned away to circle the building.

 **XXXX**

Once you were away from Sam and the group, you couldn't help yourself as you took off running. Making it to the back of the warehouse, you tried your best to wipe the grime off the windows and get a read on the situation inside. What you saw made your blood run cold.

Dean was lying on the ground, blood running down his face. He was nearly unconscious, still trying to reach for the First Blade while Metatron stood over him with an angel blade.

A rush of adrenaline flooded your body and you gave up being stealthy, acting on instinct instead and kicking in the door. The rusted hinges gave away and the door fell to the ground with a crash. "No!" you cried, raising the gun Sam had given you. You let off a couple shots, but Metatron was unaffected.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked with blatant surprise. He looked back to Dean on the floor before looking at you with recognition, "Wait, you're Nancy Drew, aren't you? And the Winchesters never even introduced you. How rude." He kicked Dean in the face, effectively rendering him unconscious.

"Oh shut up, you dumbass," you said, throwing your gun away and pulling out your angel blade.

His eyes widened in surprise again, but he looked otherwise unaffected. "I see you've met Castiel as well. Too bad he's not here to help either, he's a little tied up at the moment."

Metatron's face twisted into a smirk as he watched your expression change. "You're lying," you said.

He remained silent and shrugged his shoulders. Channeling your worry into anger, you lunged at him with your blade, but he grabbed your arm. You countered by punching him in the face with your other hand, but he grabbed it too, blocking your attempt.

"Oh sweetheart, you're going to have to do better than that," he smirked, before twisting your arms behind your back and throwing you into the far wall. You heard a crack as you hit the wall, and slumped to the ground. Your breath came in wheezing gasps and you were certain you had just broken a rib. You looked at Metatron in shock… he was far more powerful than he seemed.

You sat there clutching your side, trying to get your breathing under control as he turned back to Dean. "Now, you Dean…" he started, "have caused me far too much trouble. I honestly can't say I'm not going to enjoy this." He crouched down in front of the unconscious Dean and raised his angel blade. You had dropped yours when you fell and tore your gaze away from the scene in front of you to search for it desperately.

Sam rushed in the moment you spotted it. He cried out, "No!" momentarily distracting Metatron as you lunged for your blade. Your fingers curled around the handle when the whole building started to shake violently. The three of you sat frozen for a moment. Sam stood in the doorway, gun pointed at Metatron. Metatron crouched over Dean, his blade drawn back as he stared back at Sam in the doorway. You were sprawled on the floor, clutching your angel blade and struggling to sit up.

The moment was broken as Sam rushed forward. Metatron sprang into action, looking around with panicked eyes. You knew that look, knew exactly what he was about to do. _This bastard's gonna make a break for it._ Somehow or other, you guessed, Cas and Gadreel had been successful in destroying the angel tablet. You pulled your arm back and threw your weapon at Metatron with as much force as you could muster.

Everything seemed to slow as you watched the blade fly through the air, flipping end over end. Metatron was still looking around the warehouse in a panic. He was turned away from you and didn't see the weapon coming towards him, yet he stumbled back a step at the last second, and the angel blade missed his back, instead embedding itself in his bicep. He cried out in anguish, clutching his arm as a bright blue light seeped from it, before disappearing entirely.

Sam stood frozen, staring at the place Metatron used to be for only a moment. He glanced down and rushed to Dean. "Hey. Hey, hey Dean. Dean," he said, worry evident in his voice.

The older Winchester groaned, and Sam let out a choked, relieved laugh, helping his brother sit up. Dean coughed before spitting blood on the ground. "Hey kid," he called, looking towards you, "Where'd you learn to throw knives like that?"

A laugh burbled out of your throat as pain shot through your side. You clutched your ribs as Sam smiled. "You should see the one she left in the bookshelf back in the bunker. I don't think Crowley will be coming back to visit anytime soon."

You couldn't help the goofy smile that spread across your face as you stared at the Winchesters. Somehow or other, the three of you had made it through this. You only hoped the same could be said for Cas. _Please let him be okay._


	16. The Aftemath

Nothing new here, I have no rights to Supernatural... or any other TV shows.

Please enjoy!

 **XXXX**

Nearly a week had passed since you and the Winchesters had fought Metatron. Your ribs were still sore and healing far too slowly for your liking. Dean said he was fine, but you saw the winces of pain when he thought you weren't looking. Sam was okay, relieved that the three of you had made it out alive… you hadn't seen Cas since.

Your constant worry had set you on edge the entire week. The Winchesters were concerned too, but the three of you dealt with it differently. Sam spent all his time reorganizing the library and updating research while Dean locked himself away in his room, listening to loud, angry music. You, on the other hand, had spent all your time training, trying to distract yourself from thinking about a certain angel. Dean would join you occasionally, but mostly you were alone.

You ran until you could barely walk. You threw knives until your arms were exhausted. You practiced your shot until your shoulders ached. You sparred with the heavy bag until it had burst at the seams. You were trying your best to focus, keep yourself distracted, but you were also trying to fatigue your body to the point of exhaustion in the hopes that you'd be able to fall into a deep, dreamless sleep at night.

It never seemed to work, though. You still had consistent nightmares… and they were getting worse. Recently, they had changed and instead of Isaiah and Jace lying prone in their beds, it was Sam and Dean. Dean would be bloody and beaten, nearly past the point of recognition while Sam looked as if he could've been sleeping peacefully if it wasn't for the knife still stuck in his chest.

The shifter would enter the room, but now it would change forms. It would pretend to be you then quickly morph into Metatron, Abaddon and even Isaiah and Jace. You would hesitate at the thought of fighting your brothers and the shifter would take the chance to stab you in the stomach. You'd lay there on the floor or your brothers' bedroom, bleeding out and staring at the two dead men you considered your new family. You'd call out for Cad, but he never came.

You shuddered at your thoughts and brought your attention back to the kettle as it let out a high-pitched whistle. You got a tea bag out and filled your mug with hot water, wondering if whether fixing the heavy bag was worth your time or if you should just buy a new one, when something caught your eye in the other room.

"Cas?" you gasped, staring at the figure in surprise. He looked tired and rumpled, but he was standing in front of you nonetheless. His hair was a mess, sticking out in every direction while dark stubble covered the lower half of his face. His jacket was wrinkled and his tie was loose, resting backwards against his chest. You looked him over quickly, searching for injuries before you allowed yourself to meet his gaze. A wave of relief washed over you as you looked into the familiar blue sapphires.

"Cas?" you said again, rushing towards him. "Are you alright? Where have you been? We've been worried sick. Are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine, everything is fine. Heaven is a mess, though, and I've been helping Hannah and the other angels try to clean it up."

His words sent a pinprick of pain to your heart. "You've… you've been in heaven, helping the other angels this whole time?" He nodded his head as a sudden and unexpected anger welled up inside you. "And why the hell didn't you tell us this sooner? We've been worried sick about you all week! We had no idea what happened to you or Gadreel. Metatron said the two of you were locked up and then he just vanished into thin air! For all we knew, you were dead or stuck in God knows what angel prison forever! But no! You were doing who even knows what… frolicking around with a bunch of haloed douchebags, leaving the rest of us to fret, you selfish jerk!"

Your words came out all at once, in one big rush. You couldn't stop yourself once you started and now you stood in the kitchen doorway, chest heaving, staring at a surprised Castiel. You crossed your arms, waiting for a response from the silent angel. His eyes softened as he looked at you for a moment. "Jayden—" he began.

Suddenly Sam walked into the room. "Jayden?" he asked, "Who are you talking—" He stopped short at the sight of Cas. "Cas," he said, "you're alright." Sam looked at the angel with surprise before stepping towards him and pulling him in for a rough hug. You let out a frustrated sigh and turned away, walking back into the kitchen.

You were frustrated with yourself mostly. Of course you were relieved to see Cas, but you were mad at him too. You wanted to run back into the main room and throw your arms around him, but you also wanted to strangle him. Didn't he understand how important he was to you? You had realized that Cas and the Winchesters had wiggled their way into your heart, but you were still afraid of what it meant. You had worried about Cas all week, unable to prepare yourself for the worst. If anything had of happened to him, your heart would've broken and you knew you couldn't live through a second heartbreak. Didn't he understand that? Apparently not… he had prioritized heaven's welfare over your friendship.

Your emotions once again somersaulted and suddenly, you were sad. And exhausted. Without your constant worry, you felt drained.

You took your tea bag out of your mug as you listened to the murmurs of the other room. The last thing you heard was Sam whisper, "You should talk to her," before it was silent. You could feel Cas' presence in the doorway but refused to acknowledge him.

You took a deep breath before turning around and facing him. "Cas," you said, "I barely knew what to do with myself all week… and you've been in heaven this whole time?" You had tried to but couldn't keep the sadness out of your voice.

His eyes softened again as he stepped into the kitchen. You looked at the floor. "Jayden," he sighed, "I'm so sorry. I tried my best to come back here as quickly as possible, but heaven is a complete mess. We managed to lock Metatron away, but Gadreel was lost. My grace is fading quickly also, which makes it inherently difficult to travel. I didn't mean to worry you."

He stepped closer to you, within arm's reach. You still couldn't bring your eyes to meet his. "I'm still mad at you," you said without conviction, "it's been an entire freaking week and we heard nothing." You couldn't bring yourself to mention the betrayal you felt so you sighed instead. "I am glad you're alright and I'm glad you're here now."

He was silent as he took another step forward. He stood so close now, you were overwhelmed by his scent. That mixture of sandalwood, soap and new beginnings brought you comfort for the first time in a week when nothing else would. His hands suddenly cupped your face, gently tugging it upwards to meet his eyes. You heart stuttered in your chest as you looked into the glittering sapphires. "I'm just glad you're alright, Jayden. I've thought about you all week. I wanted to check on you earlier, make sure you were okay, but it was impossible. You have no idea how happy I am to be here."

Your cheeks heated at his words. His proximity was overwhelming and you suddenly remembered the last time you had been this close. You took an abrupt step back, quickly embarrassed. Cas' hands fell back to his side limply as he stared at you. You couldn't read his expression and chose to look over his shoulder instead, avoiding his gaze entirely. You stood stiffly as you began to speak. "Listen Cas, I need to say something."

Your eyes flitted to his, but you couldn't bring yourself to hold his gaze. You looked away quickly, focusing on a point over his shoulder again. "About the last time… that kiss," You started, "I know it was kind of rash and unexpected. I'm sorry if I overstepped—"

You were cut off abruptly as Cas stepped towards you. He wrapped one arm around your waist, bringing the two you closer together. You stumbled into his chest in surprise as he tightened his grip. He used his other hand to cradle your head and tilt your face up to meet his.

Suddenly his lips were on yours and you couldn't think of anything else. You couldn't remember what you were saying only a second ago, and your eyes fluttered shut. You melted into him, bringing your hands to his chest. The starched white fabric of his shirt was smooth and cool under your fingertips. It made you think of your last kiss when the same fabric was balled tightly in your fists. This kiss was entirely different. While the last one was charged with passion and adrenaline, this one was soft, sweet and comforting.

His lips moved slowly against yours, soft and sweet. The stubble of his scruff scratched your face, but you didn't care. You poured all of your worry and relief into the kiss, trying to convey your feelings without words.

Cas slowly pulled away, his nose brushing yours. He still held you tight as he whispered, "You were saying something?"

 **XXXX**

The last couple weeks had trickled by. You, Sam and Dean, had gone back to working regular cases, but the brothers were tense. Neither knew what to do about the Mark of Cain and while Sam constantly wanted to talk about it and strategize, Dean did not. He clammed up, always insisting everything was fine. It seemed as if he was losing hope and while you wanted to help, you kept your mouth shut, knowing all too well not to get involved.

For the most part, though, things had fallen back into their regular rhythm. You worked cases with the Winchesters and some without. You spent your extra time in the bunker, training and keeping an eye out for mysterious deaths or signs of your shifter. To your dismay, the last couple weeks had turned up nothing. You knew it was futile, but you had still followed your Nestor Keller lead. It had gone cold though and turned out to be a complete bust. Nestor Keller has seemingly disappeared into thin air, and while it was expected, you were still disappointed.

You had returned to the bunker, decidedly dejected. Dean had tried asking about it, but you just shook your head. Sam gave you an understanding look but didn't say anything. You had ignored their whispers and went straight to the gym to work out your frustrations on the new heavy bag.

Nightmares still plagued your sleep, even though you worked yourself past the point of exhaustion. Every night, you had to watch, helpless, as Nestor Keller murdered both of your brothers and the Winchesters. He'd stick his knife in your abdomen before exiting the room, leaving you to bleed out and call for Cas. Sometimes, you could hear his voice calling back to you, but he sounded weak and far away. He'd never appear and you had quickly given up hope. You'd stopped calling and accepted your fate as you lay there in your own blood, silent tears streaming down your face as you stared at the dead bodies of the people you loved most.

In the past couple weeks, Cas had also visited the bunker. You noticed something was wrong on his third visit when he had walked in the door looking exhausted. His clothing was wrinkled and rumpled, his hair messy and dark circles ringed both eyes. You had casually tried to ask him if everything was alright, but he had brushed it off, pretending everything was fine. Angels weren't supposed to sleep, so why was Cas looking so tired?

You had tried asking the Winchesters about it but they had both given you the same response. Sad eyes would avoid your gaze as they mumbled out guilty I don't knows. Cas kept visiting, looking worse each time. When he'd leave, you'd pester the Winchesters for answers and after one too many questions, Sam finally broke. "You have to talk to Cas about it," he had said.

After that, you had hardened your resolve, determined to extract an answer from the angel… except he never came back to the bunker. He would call a couple times a week and you finally coerced an answer from him.

"It's my grace, Jayden," he said, sadly, in between coughs. "It's running out, but things are fine. I'll be okay."

You ran a hand through your hair, absentmindedly. "Well, what did you do last time?"

"Last time? …I don't understand."

"Last time," you insisted. "When you came to the bunker that first time, looking for Sam and Dean. You said your angel grace was running out, but you were fine for months after that? What did you do then?"

There was a long silence on the other end of the line. "Cas?" you questioned.

"I… sorry, I—" Cas was having trouble articulating his words. He took a deep breath suddenly and you waited. "I wasn't being completely truthful last time, Jayden. Yes, I was using borrowed angel grace but it wasn't really running that low… I lied about not being able to leave the bunker." He sounded sheepish as he added, "I was hoping you had forgotten about that."

You smiled despite yourself and the line was silent. You had thought Cas was done speaking when he quietly added, "I had wanted to get away from all the angel politics and you were so new and interesting… so unknown. Your presence was like none I'd felt before. You were so funny and entertaining. I knew that day exactly why the Winchesters liked you so much."

Your grin widened. You felt like your cheeks were going to split as a light blush tinted your face. "You had fun? God, for the longest time, I thought I had made a gigantic fool of myself."

"On the contrary, you were quite charming and a very gracious host… even after an entire bottle of whiskey." You heard the teasing in his voice and let out a laugh. It died in your throat when the angel burst into a coughing fit.

"Listen, Cas, I know you're not fine. You say you are, but you're just trying to keep me from worrying." He tried to protest, but you continued to speak over him. "I'm guessing its bad then, but I just… I just want to see you, okay? The bunker's not the same without you."

"Don't let Sam and Dean hear you say that." A small smile slipped across your face again but you couldn't shake the newfound melancholy. "Everything will work out; it will all be okay, Jayden."

With that, you had hung up the phone and held your head in your hands. You allowed yourself one moment of pity before burying your emotions and heading back to the heavy bag. The stress in your life seemed to be piling up by the second. Your nightmares, the shifter, Cas, the Winchesters and the Mark… everything was spiralling out of control.

Hunting seemed to be the only thing able to distract you. It required all of your focus and made you feel like you had some sense of control over the situation. Sure, monsters were unpredictable, but you knew exactly how to stop them. You were good at it and you liked doing it.

That was how you had ended up on your current hunt. Sam and Dean had gotten a call from an old friend and taken off shortly after. You knew Cas wasn't going to stop by the bunker… even though you had asked to see him, so you had locked up the bunker and taken off for Heber Springs, Arkansas. Supposed animal attacks had left three people dead in the last couple days. Their bodies had been nearly completely consumed; DNA extracted from the leftovers was the only way to identify the victims.

You had arrived in Heber Springs a couple days ago, disguised as animal control and attempting to track the monster. It was proving difficult, however, as there didn't seem to be a pattern to the killings. The crime scenes were concentrated it two areas on opposite sides of the small city. Some murders were brash, done during they daylight in public places, while others were done at night, hidden in dark alleys and empty parking garages.

You weren't sure what type of monster you were hunting as there wasn't any evidence. You checked the chewed up body parts, but no teeth were left behind. You checked the crime scenes, but there was no EMF …or ectoplasm …or hair …or anything to identify a monster. Not witnesses had come forward; you had even gone around the blocks surrounding the scenes, asking if anyone had seen the supposed wild animal. Nobody gave any indication that they had seen something out of the ordinary and you were left with nothing. You were frustrated and had no leads.

You sat in your motel room, your computer in front of you, looking at records from the latest crime scene when something caught your attention on the police scanner. "We have a 10-91V at Carlton Park. Witness says they heard screaming and snarling, but it was too dark to get a visual. Recommend calling animal control."

You were already zipping up your jacket and placing the Wildlife Removal cap on your head when the scanner crackled into silence.

The van you had stolen back in Kansas was a nondescript while and packed full of guns, knives, flamethrowers and whatever other weapons you had thought to bring. You had also picked up a couple nets and animal control poles to commit to your cover.

You wrenched open the door and climbed in before speeding to Carlton Park. You had brought the police scanner with you to remain updated, but they never mentioned anything about Carlton Park again. When you got there, it was empty. No flashing light, no sirens, no police cars. You didn't think much of it and parked the van in an alley behind a restaurant before climbing out.

The back doors opened with a groan and you grabbed a couple knives, tucking them into your waistband along with an angel blade. You scooped up a flashlight and held it between your teeth as you loaded a gun with silver bullets. Satisfied, you close the doors and clutched the weapon and flashlight in each of your hands before making your way to the park on foot.

It was pitch black; the only light that of your flashlight. A breeze rustled through the trees and whistled by your ears, sending a chill down your spine. You tightened your grip on the gun, already on edge but determined all the same.

You were sweeping the bushes with your flashlight when your foot stumbled over something. You looked down and first noticed the blood coating your boots. You stood upright, whirling around in a circle, pointing the flashlight at every hiding spot. Nobody was there.

You looked back down and took a deep breath. By your left foot was some kind of… body part? You couldn't tell what it was exactly; it had been ripped apart, chewed down to the bone in some places. Looking closer, you noticed a small golden ring dangling precariously on a tiny bone. Bits of flesh were still stuck to it. You best guess? That was someone's wedding ring… and the rest was their arm.

A twig snapped in the distance and your head shot up. You pointed your flashlight in the same direction but there was nothing there. Taking a few hesitant steps forward, you heard another twig snap. You quickened your pace and saw a figure in the distance.

Their hood covered their face and you couldn't see who… or what it was. They wiped the sleeve of their sweater across their mouth. "Hey!" you called, taking a chance.

The figure glanced over their shoulder and held a hand up to shield their eyes from your flashlight. Their mouth was smeared with blood. It looked as if they had hastily tried to wipe it away but failed. It dribbled down the right side of their chin and stained their teeth crimson. Something was wrong with their skin too. It looked mottled as if it had been stretched too big for their face, then released.

You let off a shot, then another and another. You lowered your weapon and your flashlight, allowing your eyes to adjust to the dark. The figure flinched as the bullets hit him in the chest but didn't fall. He looked down at the wounds and then brought his eyes up to meet yours.

Oh, crap.

Everything clicked into place in that moment. People being eaten by 'wild animals'. No evidence left behind. Mottled skin and impervious to bullets. You were hunting a rugaru… and you had left the flamethrowers in the van. "Shit."

You took a couple steps back as the rugaru stepped forwards. The look in his eyes was hungry and predatory. He lifted his head in the air and sniffed. "Shit!" you said again, turning and running.

You could hear his pounding feet behind you, getting closer every second as you weaved your way through the park. You adrenaline was skyrocketing, allowing you to run faster than you thought possible. Still, the rugaru was gaining on you, his overwhelming hunger motivating him. His breath was coming in loud gasps, inching closer to your head as your legs fatigued. You ducked and turned abruptly, kicking your way through a hedge.

When you made it to the other side, you were outside the park. You had stumbled onto the sidewalk, leaves stuck in your shoelaces, frantically looking around for the restaurant alley you had parked in. You spotted the van but paused for a moment. Everything was still. The wind had stopped blowing, leaving you in a suffocating silence; the only sound that of your laboured breathing.

You had lost the rugaru but knew that wouldn't be the case for long. A chill ran down your spine as you sprinted across the street to the alley. "Okay, okay, okay," you whispered to yourself in an attempt to collect your thoughts. You fumbled with the van handles. "Just gotta find that flamethrower, before—"

Your eyes landed on the flamethrower at the exact second the rugaru rounded the van. You lunged for it, but he grabbed your ankle, tearing you away. You landed on the pavement, the rugaru pouncing on top of you. The wind had been knocked out of you and you struggled to catch your breath as you tried to get your bearings.

The rugaru lunged at your throat, but you held your forearm against his neck. He let out a strangled cough as he attempted to bite your neck. Blood still stained his teeth and wide, desperate eyes made him look feral. You couldn't believe this had ever been a man.

You shifted your arm and thrust you elbow into his chin. He flew back, howling in pain as you scrambled to your feet. You knew a knife couldn't kill him, but you took a blade from your waistband anyway. The silver knife glinted in the moonlight as the rugaru rose to his feet. He stood between you and the van, a bloodthirsty look haunting his eyes.

Desperate to get to get your hands on a flamethrower, you went on the offensive and ran at the rugaru. You feinted with your right hand and slashed at him with the knife in your left. You stuck it in his side and ducked under his outstretched arm, grabbing it and twisting it behind him with your other hand.

You had managed to swap positions and get closer to the van, but he used your momentum against you and twirled out of your grip. You snatched the blade from his side and saw him wince in pain. You took a step backwards, toward the open van doors but he straightened quickly and lunged at you.

You gripped the knife tighter in your left hand and thrust it towards his chest. He grabbed your forearm with both hands to block the attack and twisted it. There was an audible crack as you screamed out in agony and the knife clattered to the ground. The rugaru had broken your arm as if it was nothing more than a twig.

Tears gathered in your eyes as you brought your free elbow down on his forearms. His grip loosened and you were able to wrench your arm free, only to have it dangle uselessly at your side.

The rugaru lunged forward trying to grab your hair, but only managing to clutch your hat. In that moment he was off balance and you took the chance to kick his left foot out from under him. He stumbled, tightening his hold on your hat, trying to regain his footing, but you stepped away. The hat was ripped off your head along with a few stray hairs but you didn't pay any mind.

You dove into the back of the van as the rugaru fell to the ground. You dug through the multitude weapons, trying to untangle a flamethrower from an animal control net in a panic. _Why did you have to be so thorough with your cover story?_

You heard the crunch of gravel as the rugaru got to his feet. He growled, taking slow deliberate steps towards the van. You heart was fast and a cold sweat broke out over your neck. _When all of this is over, I'm gonna burn these god damn nets along with that asshole's body!_

The flamethrower finally came free in your hands and you spun around to face the rugaru, his silhouette blocking the moonlight and filling the open van doors. You frantically tried to flick the switch, as he leant forward, growling again.

He lunged forward at the same moment a blinding orange flame erupted from the flamethrower. You held down the trigger as the rugaru stumbled back. He threw his arms up to cover his face and tried to turn around, but you clambered out of the van, following him.

You could feel the heat of the fire on your face as the rugaru fell to his knees. He let out a howl of pain before slumping to the ground, motionless. You still waited a couple moments before you extinguished the flame and turned back to the van. You could hear the sizzling of melted skin as you set the flamethrower down and tried to take a deep breath to calm your nerves. The scent of burnt flesh filled your nose and you regretted it immediately.

You leant against the van, trying to take small, shallow breaths instead as something caught your eye. Your Wildlife Removal hat lay on the ground ripped and a little burnt, but still mostly in good shape. It was lying next to your knife and when you crouched down to pick it up, you suddenly felt a presence behind you.

Fear gripped your heart for a second before you made a split second decision and grabbed the knife instead of you hat. The crunch of gravel alerted you to where the person was standing and you relied on that as you whirled around, throwing the knife.

You heard the thud as the blade embedded itself in their body but didn't stop before scooping up the flamethrower from the back of the van. You held it up in front of you but stopped short when you saw the person standing there.

Your breath caught in your throat. "Cas?" you murmured. The angel stood there, his black hair dishevelled and a knife sticking out of his chest, but still better looking than he had been in weeks. His clothing wasn't as wrinkled and his eyes were bright and alert. "Cas?" you whispered again.

He stared back at you before he glanced down at his chest. He gripped the knife firmly by the handle and slowly pulled it out. It clattered to the ground next to him as you abandoned the flamethrower, running over to him.

You grabbed his face in both hands as his arms wrapped around your waist. "Oh my God, Cas! What are you doing here? What happened? I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to stab you. I thought you were another—" Your mind was running a mile a minute and you were having trouble collecting your thoughts when suddenly an idea occurred to you. "That's it, Cas! You're a genius!"

You planted a kiss on his lips as he stared at you in confusion. The different crime scene locations, the murder MO's… there were two different rugarus!

You pulled away and looked at the angel. His hands were still wound around your waist, holding you close, but his brow was furrowed, "I'm not sure I understand?"

You let out a relieved laugh and planted another kiss on his lips. "Come on, come with me to the motel and I'll tell you everything."


	17. Orville

Well, it's been a long time but I still don't own Supernatural.

This is my last week of highschool ever, I'm graduating this year, never to return. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

 **XXXX**

Your mind was still racing as you and Cas entered the motel room. He sat on the edge of the bed as you started talking. "For the past couple days, I've been in this town, following a lead. The pattern was so weird, though, I couldn't track the monster, I didn't even know what it was for the longest time… if I had to guess, I would've said werewolf." Your excess adrenaline was making you fidget. You couldn't sit still and instead wandered the room, picking up discarded clothing in an attempt to clean up.

"Anyway, I was sitting here trying to find any semblance of a pattern and the police scanner went off, mentioning a wild animal attack at Carlton Park. I went to check it out and that was when I stumbled upon the rugaru." Cas watched in silent amusement as your arms quickly filled with clothes. "I ran back to the van to grab a flamethrower and of course they're crazy fast, right?" You looked at Cas over the pile of garments in your arms but continued before he had the chance to answer.

"So, he catches up to me and we fought. He broke my—" You stopped suddenly, midsentence. The clothing fell to the floor. "My arm," you said, looking at it in surprise. The bones had seemingly mended and you were able to move it without pain. You looked to Cas. "I—when did… what? Did you fix my arm?"

The angel gave you a small smile and nodded his head.

"I… I didn't even notice… thanks, Cas." You walked over and perched yourself on the bed next to him. You reached for his hand and squeezed it before continuing your story.

"We fought and I was finally able to get my hands on a flamethrower and kill the thing when you suddenly showed up. I thought you were another one and threw the knife at you, trying my best to stall…" you trailed off before glancing up at the angel. "I really am sorry about that," you said sheepishly.

He squeezed your hand back, blue eyes boring into yours. They sparkled in the dim light of the motel room and you sighed. You could have lost yourself in their depths if it wasn't for his hand anchoring you to the present. You swallowed and paused a moment before collecting the last of your thoughts. "…And that was when I got the idea that there were two rugarus."

You stood up abruptly and stepped over the discarded clothing pile before grabbing your computer and sitting back down. You pulled up the map of the crime scene locations and their respective descriptions. "The crime scenes are scattered on opposite sides of town and have completely different MO's. One always seemed shy and scared, hesitant almost while the other would kill anyone, anywhere, even in broad daylight. If I had to guess, I think I just killed the hesitant one… based on the geography and nature of his kill."

You paused to catch your breath and looked back to Cas. He was staring at your computer screen, eyes scanning over the words. When he realized you were done talking, he looked back to you. "I understand… but I though rugarus were rare. They were said to be extinct, even. What is the probability of two being in town at once?"

"Well since the rugaru gene is genetic, my theory is that rugaru has a relative around his age and they changed together."

"Okay, but how do we find out who his relatives are? We don't even know who he was."

"Au contraire, my feathered friend," you said, pulling out a slightly smouldering ID for one Adam Peralta. "I swiped this off the rugaru's crispy corpse before we got rid of it. I mean, it's a little melted but I can read his name clear as day." A smug smile spread across your face as Cas shook his head in amusement.

His expression faltered, turning serious again as he asked, "You don't think they'd hunt together then?"

"I don't know… maybe they hadn't realized that the other was also a monster?"

You fell silent, retreating into your mind and examining all possible theories. A sudden fatigue seemed to fill your bones, making your eyelids heavy. You tried your best to ignore it and stifled a yawn as you turned to Cas. "It's your turn now. I wanna know what happened to you? I haven't seen you in a week and you show up out of the blue looking better than ever. You owe me an explanation angel brain."

You smiled at Cas and fought the urge to yawn again. He looked down at the worn motel carpet as he rubbed his jaw. "It was Crowley actually, who helped me."

"Crowley as in short, English, King of Hell Crowley?"

Cas nodded his head. "Hannah came to me and asked for my help a while ago. A couple days ago, when she was driving me back to the bunker, we stopped for gas and came upon an angel, Adina." You yawned, feeling your eyes grow heavier. Your adrenaline had faded, leaving you exhausted, but still, you tried your hardest to focus on the angel's story.

"There was an altercation in which Crowley showed up. He stole her grace and killed her before giving it to me. He said that he wanted me to help Sam and Dean with something to get them off his back." He paused for a moment before continuing, "…I took the grace and found Sam and Dean, helped them and then came looking for you. That's how I ended up in that alleyway."

You kicked your shoes off haphazardly and set a hand on Cas' arm. You were growing more tired by the second but you were still alert enough to hear the shame in his voice when he spoke about taking another angel's grace. "I'm glad you're here," you said quietly. "And I'm glad you took that angel's grace and helped the Winchesters… you know the three of us wouldn't be able to do any of what we do without you."

He turned his head and met your gaze. He let slip a small, sad smile and whispered, "Thank you, Jayden. I hadn't realized just how much I needed to hear that."

You looked up into those glittering sapphires as the smile slowly slipped from his lips. His brow was slightly furrowed and you wanted so badly to run your thumb across it, smoothing the crease. Your hand itched to do it but you refrained, not wanting to ruin the moment. Right now, Cas looked more alive than you had ever seen him.

When you first met him, he seemed to be just what he appeared, an angel. A heavenly host sent from above to do God's work and nothing more. Now, however, you were staring at a man, living the life he chose. A man with his own thoughts and feelings, clearly written across his face and warring within him. In that moment, you wanted so badly to kiss him but couldn't bring yourself to do it. Everything seemed so fragile and precarious.

The two of you sat frozen, staring at each other. He reached a hand up and tucked a stray piece of hair behind your ear, leaving it there to cup your cheek. His gaze flicked down to your lips and your heart stuttered for a moment but the spell was broken when you suddenly tried to stifle a yawn. Cas' expression changed as he quietly said, "You should sleep, Jayden."

"I'm not tired," you mumbled, eyes fluttering shut briefly.

Cas let out a low chuckle. "You're exhausted. You need to rest, Jayden."

You laid back on the bed, curling your feet up under you. Keeping your eyes open was becoming increasingly difficult as you stifled another yawn. The bed shifted as Cas stood up and deliriously, half-asleep already, you reached a hand out and clutched his arm. "Just… just stay with me," you mumbled. "I've missed you, Cas."

He stood frozen for a moment and you nearly dozed off when he suddenly slipped off his shoes and reached up to loosen the collar of his shirt. You smiled dazedly at the familiar crooked tie and scooted over to make room for him. The bed shifted to accommodate his weight as he sat back down.

Cas leaned back and you scooted closer. You wrapped an arm around his waist and laid your head on his chest. Your eyes fluttered shut again and you waited as Cas sat frozen, holding his breath. His is chest fell as he exhaled and his arms reciprocated your embrace. One hand rubbed your arm while the other absentmindedly played with the ends of your hair.

You sighed in content and cuddled further into his warmth, breathing in his familiar scent. It had been so long since you had thought about sandalwood, soap and new beginnings. You smiled lazily, the steady rise and fall of his chest lulling you to sleep.

His lips ghosted against the top of your head as he whispered, "Goodnight, Jayden."

 **XXXX**

You awoke and sighed, snuggling deeper into the warmth of the bed, refusing to open your eyes. Last night was the first time in months you hadn't had a nightmare and it was the most soundly you had slept in an even longer time. You weren't squatting in houses or paranoid that someone would break into your car like the years before you had found the Winchesters.

This time, you had been safe and warm, cuddled in your bed. You kept your eyes shut, trying to drift back to sleep for a couple more minutes before you had to face the day. The bed gently shifted under you and you froze with the realization that it wasn't a pillow beneath your head but a man's chest.

You peeked an eye open, noticing a familiar crooked and slightly wrinkled tie. "Cas?" you mumbled, slowly sitting up and rubbing your eyes.

"Are you alright, Jayden?" Concern filled his eyes as the events of the night before trickled back into your brain. _The angel had sat with you the entire night._

"I… I—yeah." One of your hands still rested on his abdomen and you pulled it back, staring around the room, surveying the TV. The sound was off but images continued to flash across the screen. "Did you stay up all night?"

Cas looked at you with confusion. "Of course. You know angels don't need sleep."

"I—well yeah, but I mean, you stayed here the entire night? You didn't have to… I mean, if you were bored or something, you could've left." You rubbed the back of your neck slightly embarrassed but also touched by the angel's actions.

"You looked peaceful; I didn't want to disturb you and… and I know how difficult it is for you to sleep through the night."

Panic grew in your chest. "You what? I… what is that supposed to mean?"

Cas looked sheepish as he answered, "I know about your nightmares, Jayden. That your brothers' deaths still haunt your dreams. I know you said you didn't want me to read your mind and I haven't, I swear, but I couldn't just sit by and watch you suffer." He swallowed before continuing, "I've been walking among your dreams, trying my best to redirect their course to happier times and memories. I'm sorry if this bothers you, Jayden… but I know how guilt can haunt a person. I heard you calling out my name when I was weakened… there was nothing I could do to help you and it nearly killed me."

You sat there stunned, listening to the angel's confession. Your heart was so touched that your eyes filled with tears. You didn't care that Cas had seen you cry or that he knew about your guilt. He had never judged you for those things, but instead did everything he could to comfort you.

"Please don't cry, Jayden," Cas whispered.

You shook your head, trying to summon words but they wouldn't come. You scooted closer, wrapping your arms around the angel's neck and looking into his eyes. He was confused but still snaked his arms around your waist. Your nose brushed his as you leaned in closer and whispered, "Thank you," against his lips.

He pressed his lips gently against yours, tightening his arms around your waist. You ran your hands along the back of his neck and up through his hair. He bit your lower lip, eliciting a surprised squeak from you and taking the chance to deepen the kiss. It was slow and sweet, filled with comfort. You could feel Cas' wants and needs mingling with your own. You wanted him to know just how much that gesture meant to you and this was the only way you knew how.

He suddenly pulled away and you opened your eyes, hands still cupping his neck. His face was serious as his blue eyes bored into yours. "Besides, Jayden, if I didn't stay to watch TV, how would I remain pop culture savvy?"

Your burst into laughter, rolling away from the angel. You looked at him from across the bed and shook your head in amusement, taking in his messy hair and bright eyes. A goofy grin split his face and you were sure it was mirrored on yours. "Come on, you goof, let's find everything we can about Adam Peralta."

 **XXXX**

"You're sure this was the address on file?" you asked Cas, turning away from the bleak apartment door.

He nodded his head. "I'm positive. This is where Liam Peralta lives."

The two of you had looked up Adam Peralta and found his twin brother Liam. You had scoured social media and federal databases looking for other family members of the same age, but Liam was the only one you had come across. Both brothers had clean records and seemed like average people, which caused you to doubt the credibility of your evidence. Maybe the rugaru had lifted the wallet off his last victim or the one before that?

Whatever the case, you had to be sure so you turned back towards the apartment door, raising your hand to knock. Suddenly, a man stepped into the hallway from the next apartment over.

"You looking for Liam?" he called out.

You looked to Cas but the angel just shrugged his shoulders. "We're looking for Liam Peralta. What do you know about him?" you asked, turning and facing the man.

He leaned casually on the doorframe of his apartment, hands in pockets. "I know he hasn't been home in a few days." He paused, shrugging his shoulders before continuing. "Seems like he just disappeared but apparently he told the clerk downstairs he was going on vacation. I've been watering his plants and feeding his cat for the past couple days."

"And you are?"

"James Goodkin," he replied.

"I'm agent Savage and this is agent Hyneman," you said, pointing to yourself and then Cas. "Do you mind if we ask you a couple questions?"

He walked back into his apartment, motioning for you to follow him. You looked to Cas again but his eyes followed the man through the doorway. He looked angry almost but there was no time to ask what was wrong. You turned and made your way into the apartment.

 **XXXX**

"How long have you known Liam?"

James cracked his knuckles and shifted in his seat. "I've lived here for a couple years now and Liam has been my neighbour the entire time."

"So how well do you know him?" Cas demanded. You glanced at the angel in surprise and paused at his expression. He definitely looked upset. His brow was furrowed and his eyes narrowed at James. His mouth was pressed into a thin line. You nudged his leg with your own underneath the countertop but he didn't react.

James glanced between you and Cas. "I don't know… not that well, I guess. We say hi to each other in the hallway and water the other's plants, but we don't watch the game together or anything. I know he's got a brother but I've never seen any other family members come to visit."

You cleared your throat. "Can you tell us anything about this past week? You said that he seemingly disappeared, was he acting strange beforehand?"

"He did just disappear! I hadn't seen him in a couple days and then Timothy, the clerk downstairs, told me that I had to water his plants and feed his cat. I hadn't even realized he was gone."

Cas snapped at him. "Yes, but did anything out of the ordinary happen before that?"

James looked at Cas, slightly alarmed. "I guess… I don't know, his brother came to visit a couple days before. He seemed pretty freaked out, but I don't know why. What's this about anyway?"

"We just want to ask him a few questions," you said, reassuringly.

James shook his head and took a peek at Cas. The angel still looked foreboding. "Uhh, can I get you guys anything? Water, coffee, tea?"

"We're fine," Cas said.

You looked at the angel but he refused to meet your gaze. What is his problem? You turned back to James and plastered on an encouraging smile. "Water would be great, thank you."

He nodded his head and turned away, pulling a couple glasses out of the cupboard. Something weird was going. You looked to Cas. He looked angry as he watched James' back with narrowed eyes. You nudged his leg yours again and this time, he turned his head to look at you. His face softened when he met your gaze and he brushed your hand under the countertop with his own.

Suddenly, he looked back up to James who was setting a glass of water in front of you. He shot you a small smile before looking to Cas whereupon it withered. You drank from the glass and a heavy silence descended upon the room.

Things were quickly becoming tense and you finally decided that enough was enough. Clearing your throat, you broke the silence. "You said that you were watering his plants and taking care of the cat this week. I'm guessing you have a key?" He nodded his head and you continued with your question. "Would you let us in to take a look around?"

 **XXXX**

"Well, this is it. If you need anything else just let me know. I'll be right down the hall." James threw another smile your way and you couldn't stop the one that graced your face in return.

"Okay, thanks, we'll let you know when we're done." You watched him walk out of the apartment and waited for the sound of his own door closing before turning to Cas.

"Okay, what the hell was that about? Why were you acting so weird in there, is everything okay?" You were concerned for the angel but also annoyed. James had been perfectly friendly and accommodating, he did everything possible to help you but still Cas had been hostile. You waited expectantly, hands on your hips.

Cas looked at you for a long moment. So long, that you thought he wasn't going to answer. When he did, his voice was quiet. "He was thinking impure thoughts… about you."

You stopped short. "I… he… what?" you blurted out. Your cheeks heated at Cas' words.

"He was thinking impure thoughts about you, Jayden," Cas repeated, louder this time.

You closed the space between the two of you and slapped a hand over his mouth. "I heard you the first time," you hissed. "Keep your voice down or he's gonna come back here."

You looked into Cas' eyes accusingly. He nodded his head slightly and you removed your hand, taking a step back. "I'm sorry, Jayden. I just… hearing him think such things angered me. It is an insult to your honour… unless you feel the same towards him? Do you?"

Cas' eyes widened slightly and he held his breath.

"I—what? No, of course, I don't feel that way about him. I quite like you, you angel brain. Too bad your skull is too thick to understand that. It's a good thing you're pretty," you grumbled. You were flattered at Cas' reaction but annoyed that he would let it affect himself like that.

 _And did he really think you liked James?_

The angel was silent as he reached up a hand to cup your face. His thumb brushed against your cheek and you couldn't help but lean into his touch. You were still miffed at the angel, but his touch felt so good. A sigh escaped your lips as Cas leaned forward ever so slightly.

A sudden yowl from your feet caused the two of you spring apart. A grey, long-haired tabby cat wound its way around Cas' ankles. He meowed again and blue eyes looked up at the both of you. You wanted to be annoyed by this cat, but his eyes reminded you of Cas' and an unexpected affection blossomed in your chest. Cas stooped to pet the cat as you took a couple steps back.

"We should probably hurry this up before James comes back," you said. "I'll check out the bedroom, you see if you can find anything in here." Cas was too distracted by the cat and you shook your head in bemusement, turning and walking into Liam Peralta's bedroom anyway.

You scoured the room but there was nothing that indicated the man who lived here was a monster. Doubt was creeping back into your mind when you finally came upon a photo of Liam and his twin brother. You recognized Adam as the rugaru from the park. He had looked different with the mottled skin and blood covering his face, but you were pretty sure it was him.

You continued to look for ID or anything that could indicate where the man worked or what he did in his spare time, but there was nothing. The place was spotless. You gave up and went to look for Cas.

"Hey, Cas," you called, exiting the bedroom. "I think we have the right guy. I found a photo, but that was it. There was nothing in his room, it was almost too cl—" you stopped short at the sight of the angel.

Cas sat on the floor, his long legs splayed in front of him. The cat sat in his lap, purring contentedly with its eyes shut as Cas ran a hand downs its back. "Have you been here the whole time? Did you even look around?"

Happy blue eyes rose to meet yours. "Jayden, have you seen this cat? Its small body generates a great amount of heat and it won't stop purring." He looked back down at the animal in his lap in amazement and scratched under its chin. The cat opened its eyes and nuzzled Cas' hand.

Your heart melted at the sight and the enthusiasm on the angel's face. "I think he likes you, Cas." You bent down next to the angel to scratch the cat's ears. Sitting back and crossing your legs, you asked Cas again, "Did you find anything out about Liam?"

"No, the apartment was cleaned before he left for his 'vacation'."

"Do you think he knew he was gonna turn and just left? …Except why would he tell the clerk he was going on vacation and leave the cat here? I hate to say it, but if you're being consumed by an overwhelming hunger why not just eat the cat and scram?"

"Maybe he left before he turned. He probably assumed James would take care of the plants and cat permanently after he realized Liam was never coming back?"

"I guess," you mused. "It just seems awfully conscientious for a man who's supposed to be turning into a monster."

"You said his brother was the one with the conscience. Maybe they did know they would turn so he helped Liam sort things out beforehand?"

You and Cas sat with your thoughts for a moment. The cat purred quietly as Cas rubbed its head absentmindedly. "Anyways," you sighed, "I don't think we're gonna find anything else here. We'd better tell James we're finished." You stood up, reaching a hand down to pull the angel up after you.

A shadow darkened Cas' face at the mention of James. "I'll tell him. You can wait in the hallway for me."

You were immediately indignant and rolled your eyes. "Really, Cas? He's just a normal guy. If he tried anything, I'd kick his ass before you could say angel brain. I can handle myself just fine."

Cas' manner relaxed slightly. "I just don't trust him, Jayden. Please, just wait in the hallway. I would feel better if you let me do this." The cat followed close to Cas' heels as the two of you made your way to the door.

You stepped into the hallway and let out a sigh, shutting the door behind you. You had to pick your battles and although you thought Cas was being outrageous, you decided that this was not the time. "Alright, fine. Be quick about it, though. I wanna go see if we can find out anything else about this Liam guy. Maybe the front desk has an employment address on file?"

"Of course," Cas said as he walked down the hallway a door over. You watched as he disappeared and turned to check your phone. A message from Dean popped up:

 _Sam and I are back at the bunker, just wanted to know how things were going on your end. Did Cas ever find you?_

You smiled at the message. Dean was like the older brother you never had. Your younger brothers would have loved him. The pinprick of pain that followed thoughts of your family wasn't as strong this time. You still missed them every day, but today, it wasn't quite so fresh; after seven years, you could finally feel a glimmer of happiness. You texted Dean back:

 _The angel found me. We're in Arkansas, tracking a rugaru. Be back soon._

The reply came shortly after:

 _Alright. Be safe._

You turned off the phone and slipped it back into your pocket. Turning around, you came face to face with a startled looking Castiel. His eyes were wide as he stared at you from the doorway. "James is dead."

You took a moment to process what the angel said. "What? Cas! What did you do?!"

"I—nothing!" The angel was lost for words. "He was already dead when I walked in the apartment."

"But how? …why? This makes no sense," you muttered.

"I think Liam Peralta may have done it."

Your eyes widened in panic. "That means he's in the building right now!"

You whipped around at the sound of heavy breathing behind you. A man stood at the other end of the hallway… except it wasn't a man. His skin was mottled and rotted. Blood was smeared across his face and ran down his chest, staining the front of his shirt.

"You're the bitch that killed my brother."

You took a couple steps backwards, your back hitting the door of Liam Peralta's apartment. "I'm guessing that means you're Liam Peralta?" You glanced around the hallway, looking for a way to escape or a weapon but there was nothing. The handle of the apartment door dug into your back and you knew it was still unlocked.

Liam advanced toward you quickly and without thinking, you reached behind you, wrenched the door open and threw yourself inside.

You heard Cas call your name as you slammed the door behind you. It rattled in the frame as Liam threw himself against it. You braced all your weight against it as you looked frantically around the room for a weapon. _Fire_ , you thought to yourself, _I need to light this asshole on fire._

Your eyes landed on the gas stove across the room. An audible crack was heard as Liam threw himself against the door again. The door wasn't going to last for long. It was quiet in the hallway for a moment and you debated your options before ultimately racing to the stove.

You turned on all the elements, hearing the quiet hiss of gas fill the room. The door banged open the same moment you reached into your pocket for your lighter. A heavy weight suddenly slammed into your back, throwing you to the floor. The lighter slipped from your fingers and clattered across the floor as the hiss of gas was covered up by Liam's growls.

His knees jabbed into your back, pinning you in place. Your cheek was pressed to the floor and you kicked and bucked, trying to throw him off but he stayed firm, holding your arms at your sides.

"My brother never wanted to become this, you know. He never wanted this life but he couldn't stop himself. And you killed him for that… now I'm going to kill you."

He leaned forward to whisper the last part in your ear. When he did that, his balance shifted, applying more pressure to your arms but lessening the amount on your legs. You kicked your legs again and bucked your hips, this time knocking Liam to the side.

You rolled over as he leaned forward, trying to grab at your throat. Kneeing him in the ribs, you clutched his outstretched arm and swung your legs up around his neck. Your strength was no match for his however and his hand slowly inched towards your throat. You tried your best to hold it back, but you wouldn't last for long.

"Cas!" you called out, panicked. _Where was the angel?_

The rugaru let out a wheezing breath. His face was turning red, but still he spoke. "Your little boyfriend isn't going to be able to help you anytime soon." He let out a suffocated laugh as you tightened your legs around his neck in rage.

You tried your best to smother the worry clawing at your chest. _Cas will be fine._ Your eyes scanned the room, frantically searching for your lighter. There, under the breakfast table, a glint of silver caught your eye. _How are you going to reach it?_

You struggled to come up with a plan when Cas suddenly stumbled into the room, pausing to lean against the doorframe. Blood covered his chest and his shirt was shredded. His eyes met yours and he started to make his ways towards you. "Cas," you said through gritted teeth, still trying to hold the rugaru back, "the lighter." You used your head to motion towards the discarded lighter on the ground then towards to stove.

"You think a puny lighter is going to stop me?" the rugaru taunted, his hand inching ever closer to your throat. "Your friend should be dead, but I can always finish him off when I'm done with you."

Cas looked confused and you yelled in frustration. "Just read my mind, dammit!"

With only a second's pause, the angel had crossed the room and stooped to collect the lighter. You looked back at the rugaru then suddenly jerked your head to the side and released his wrist. His fist hit the floor next to your head with an inhuman force that threw him off balance.

You used that momentum to roll the two of you over so you were seated on top of him. He looked dazed at the sudden change in position and you unwound your legs from around his neck, taking the chance to leap to your feet and dash across the room to Cas.

He held the lighter open in one hand and reached for you with the other. The moment your fingers brushed his, he flicked the lighter and proceeded to transport the two of you back out into the hallway.

A resounding crash was heard through the building as the gas in Liam's apartment combusted. The floor shook with the force of the explosion and your ears rung as Cas pulled you closer, trying to steady you.

He stooped to look into your eyes. "Jayden, are you alright?"

"Yeah," you paused, taking a deep breath. "I'm good but we have to move quickly. We only have a couple minutes before the cops show up and I want to be long gone by then. Let's make sure this asshole is dead and then leave this town."

Cas nodded resolutely and you both turned to face the door of the apartment, which now hung off its hinges. You gingerly stepped around it and stopped to take in the rest of the apartment. It was an absolute disaster. Everything was knocked down, covered in a fine layer of soot and the curtains still burned. The bottoms of your boots were covered in ashes as you stooped to check the rugaru.

His body was blackened and burned, flames still licking his clothing. You reached a hand out before thinking better of it. Instead, you stood up straight and kicked the body gently. When he didn't move, you took it as confirmation he was dead.

"Alright, Cas, he's fried. Let's get out of here before people start showing up." You looked up expecting to see the angel, but he was gone. "Cas?" you called out, glancing around the room.

A meow from behind startled you and you whipped around to see Cas holding the long-haired grey tabby from earlier.

"No," you said, shaking your head vehemently.

"You didn't even know what I was going to say."

"You want to keep the cat and take it back to the bunker."

"No, I—yes," Cas admitted. "We can't just leave him here, Jayden. He's all alone."

"Someone else will take care of him, Cas. We have to go." You could hear sirens in the distance and were starting to grow anxious. You looked at your watch, prepared to drag the angel out of the building but paused when you looked back at him.

He looked so sad and adorable, murmuring softly to the cat as he stroked its head. Your heart melted at the sight and you let out a frustrated huff. "Fine, take the cat. But when Dean gets angry, I'm telling him this was all your fault."

Cas' face lit up and you couldn't help the smile that graced your face. You had no time to revel in the moment, though, as the sirens were becoming increasingly louder. You were getting even antsier. "Let's get out of here. We don't need to cops stumbling upon us in the middle of this mess."

The angel became serious but you could still see the joy in his face. He nodded his head and crossed the room to grab your hand again.

You started when the two of you were suddenly standing in the motel, the sirens abruptly silenced. You didn't think you'd ever get used to teleporting.

The cat suddenly meowed in Cas' arms. You looked down and scratched his ears. He didn't seem to mind teleporting. "If you're gonna keep this cat, it's only proper you give it a name." You glanced up at the angel who seemed to be deep in thought.

"His name shall be Orville," Cas suddenly said. The cat purred contentedly in agreement.

"Orville, huh? Any particular reason?" you asked.

"I don't know. I think it suits him."

You scratched the cat's ear again and the purring increased in volume. "You know what? I think you're right. It does seem to suit him." You smiled as you looked up and met Cas' gaze. "Now how about we go back to the bunker and check on those Winchesters. They've been alone with each other too long."

Cas nodded his head. "Let's go home."


	18. Mr Novak

Happy Saturday night! I don't own Supernatural or the characters, but I do still hope you enjoy this chapter :)

 **XXXX**

Dean's initial reaction to the cat was just as you had expected.

You and Cas had walked quietly in the door and down the stairs. You dropped your bags and turned to the angel, who had Orville tucked under his coat as a misshapen lump. "You know Dean is never going to let us keep this cat, right?" you whispered, paranoid the Winchesters would hear you. "Just put him in my room and we'll figure out something to tell them later."

Cas remained silent and nodded his head, turning and walking down the hallway. You let out a relieved sigh, amazed at your luck. Neither of the Winchesters had realized you were back. _They didn't know that you brought a cat home. Maybe they would never have to know… you could keep it in your room without them ever realizing it. You just had to find a way to smuggle in cat food and litter…_

A sudden noise in the hallway made you turn around. Cas walked quickly back into the room, clutching the misshapen lump in his coat that was Orville. His eyes were wide and panicked, glancing over his shoulder repeatedly.

You could hear Dean calling out down the hallway, "Cas! Hey! Cas, where are you going? Is Jayden back too?" He entered the room only a moment later.

You lurched forwards, stepping between the angel and the older Winchester in a panic. "Dean! Hi!" you said, much too enthusiastically. He stopped in the doorway and gave you a weird look.

There was a long moment of silence in which you stood, smiling at Dean like a crazy person. "…Hi to you too," he said. Dean craned his neck to look past you to Cas. "Is everything okay? …How'd your hunt go?"

"Oh yeah, everything's great!" You cringed at the excessive enthusiasm in your voice and tried to tone it down as you continued, "You'll actually never believe it! There were twin brothers who both carried to rugaru gene and turned at the same time. I stumbled across the first one and torched him but the other one was a little trickier to kill… we may have blown up his apartment in the process…"

"Uh-huh," Dean replied absentmindedly, looking past you to the angel. His eyes were narrowed in suspicion. Your stomach sank when you saw them suddenly brighten. "You know what? I really missed you guys while you were on this hunt. It's been weeks since we've all been together in the same room and I think this calls for a group hug."

"You hate group hugs," you reminded him.

Dean was undeterred. "Depends on who the group is in question… but you guys are like family and it's been so long since I've seen the both of you, I think it's only appropriate."

He advanced towards you, arms outstretched as Cas suddenly faked a cough. "I don't think this is a good idea, Dean. I'm still not feeling very well. I don't want you to get sick too."

"Nonsense," Dean said, "I just saw you a couple days ago and you were perfectly fine."

Cas let out a sigh and turned around, subtly shifting the cat underneath his coat.

Dean's eyebrows rose as he stopped walking forwards. He glanced between you and the angel eyeing the misshapen lump under Cas' coat and waiting for an explanation.

The room was silent for a long moment. When it became clear that neither you nor Cas were going to say anything, Dean spoke up again. "Alright, someone tell me what the hell is going on? What's under the coat, Cas? And don't try to lie to me."

"Nothing," the angel quipped.

Dean rolled his eyes and let out a frustrated huff. "Come on you two, quit it with the antics. Something is clearly going on. You're both terrible liars and I can clearly see a bulge under angel boy's jacket. What the hell is going on?"

A muffled meow answered Dean's question. His eyes widened in shock as he looked at you. "No," he said.

You started to protest. "But you don't even kno—"

"No," he cut you off. "We are not having a cat."

Cas opened the coat and pulled out Orville. The cat started to purr as the angel stroked its head. Dean stared at it before ripping his gaze away to look at you. "Why the hell did you bring a cat here?"

"Don't look at me!" you said, holding up your hands in a placating gesture. "This was all the angel's idea."

Dean stared at Cas again. "Someone just explain to me why you two brought a cat here. We don't need a cat. They're grumpy and lazy and… and it's just another mouth to feed! What the hell were you thinking?"

Cas spoke up. "His name is Orville, Dean. Jayden and I brought him here because he had nowhere else to go. His owner turned into a rugaru and was subsequently killed. The man who was looking after him was also killed by said rugaru and Jayden blew up the cat's apartment."

"You what?!" Dean barked.

"I told you we accidentally blew up an apartment and it just so happened to be where this cat lived. He had no home and no one to take care of him and Cas flashed me a big ol' pair of puppy eyes which I couldn't very well say no to… so we brought him here."

Dean looked ready to protest when suddenly, Sam walked into the room, unaware of the whole ordeal and oblivious to the tension. He smiled at you and said, "Jayden, you're back! How'd the hunt go?"

"Oh, pretty good," you answered vaguely, your voice higher than usual. You could feel Dean's narrowed gaze on you but chose to ignore it.

Sam nodded and turned to face Cas. He faltered when saw the cat and glanced between you and Dean. "Umm… why is he holding a cat?"

Dean cleared his throat. "That is apparently Orville. Jayden and Cas orphaned him on their hunt and thought it would be a good idea to keep him." His tone attested his anger.

"I see," Sam said, immediately picking up on Dean's annoyance and saying nothing more.

"Oh come on guys," you pleaded. "It's a cat; they're not that much work. You just gotta empty the litterbox and feed it every once in a while. Besides, it'll catch any stray mice running around the bunker and… and you can cuddle with it," you finished lamely.

"And where the hell are we supposed to get a litterbox and cat food for it?" Dean asked.

"Well… what would you say if Cas and I picked that stuff up on our way back here?" you replied, slightly sheepish.

Sam laughed as Dean let out a groan. "Oh come on, Dean," he said. "Didn't you ever want a pet when we were younger?"

"Yeah, but I always wanted it to be a dog," Dean grumbled. There was a tense moment of silence in which nobody dared to say anything and you held your breath. Finally, Dean huffed out a sigh. "Fine. The cat can stay but only because it'd be too much work to get rid of him at this point."

You smiled and looked to Cas but he was grinning down at the cat and scratching its ears.

 **XXXX**

The following week was probably one of the happiest ones you'd spent in the bunker. For a couple days, you were able to forget about the shifter and the mark of Cain and just enjoyed spending time with Castiel and the Winchesters.

You and the Winchesters had tried to hold another movie night, but you and Dean argued over which James Bond was better: Sean Connery or Pierce Brosnan, which ultimately resulted in Sam picking a documentary. This one had something to do with obesity and the amount of hidden sugar or salt in everyday foods… you couldn't really remember since you had fallen asleep shortly after Dean.

To make it up to Sam, you had visited the local farmer's market with Cas and brought home a bunch of fresh fruit and vegetables. The younger Winchester laughed when he opened the fridge and winked at you, saying he thought Sean Connery made a better James Bond too.

Life in the bunker carried on nearly the same as it had always been, although there were two distinct changes: the first being the addition of Orville. For all the grumbling and complaining Dean had done, you knew he was actually quite fond of the cat. Just the other day, you had walked into the living room to find Dean napping on the couch with the cat curled up on his chest. You had smiled to yourself and snapped a photo with your phone, realizing that was the most peaceful you had seen the older Winchester in quite some time.

And although Orville quite liked Dean and Sam, it was obvious Cas was his favourite. The angel would spoil the creature to no ends. He'd scratch his ears every chance he got, curl up with it anywhere he could, and occasionally went behind your back, giving the cat extra food after dinner. You had watched from the kitchen doorway, shaking your head as Cas filled the dish, whispering to the cat about keeping it a secret.

The second change was the dynamic between you and Cas. You weren't sure what the two of you were becoming. Your current relationship was made of subtle touches and stolen moments in dark hallways.

The two of you would find a secluded spot, hidden from the Winchesters and the rest of the world where Cas would shove you against the wall and steal the air from your lungs with his kisses. Hands were everywhere, bodies were flush against each other and every touch left you wanting more. Your hands were in his hair, his gripping your hips while the stubble on his face scratched your cheeks. Your knees would weaken with desire until Cas released you, allowing the two of you to stumble back into the real world.

The angel also regularly spent the night in your room, holding you while you slept and warding off the nightmares that always seemed to plague you. He'd wrap an arm around you while the other hand held a book of your recommendation. Cas had blown through all of Stephen King's novels in a couple nights while you and Orville slept cuddled up to him.

You and Cas would also find any reason to touch each other no matter how small. His fingers would ghost against yours in passing. You'd sit next to him on the couch, pressing your leg against his and leaning your head on his shoulder. You'd clutch his hand and intertwine your fingers under the table when eating meals. If you were in proximity, you were touching.

The two of you had also managed to keep your relationship from the Winchesters. It was an unspoken agreement that whatever was brewing between you would be kept a secret from them until you both figured out where it would go.

You knew where you wanted it to go and you were pretty sure you knew what Cas wanted. You also hated keeping secrets from the Winchesters, but you couldn't bring yourself to acknowledge your budding romance with Cas. You were afraid; afraid that saying it out loud and telling other people would make it real; that you'd lose a part of yourself in Cas and would never be able to get it back. You were afraid the pressure to 'be something' would be too much, things would fall apart and you'd be left with the shattered pieces of your heart once again as you lost the people you considered family.

All these thoughts threatened to overwhelm you so you had avidly tried to avoid thinking about them and instead took it one day at a time.

 **XXXX**

Your carefree week in the bunker had ended abruptly when you found a lead on your shifter. A known accomplice of Nestor Keller, the alias used by your shifter had just been jailed in Pontiac, Illinois. You and Cas had left the Winchesters to fret over the mark of Cain to rush down there only to find that when you arrived, said accomplice had been murdered in the holding cell.

"How?" you muttered to the angel. Both of you were wearing black suit jackets and while Cas wore matching pants, you had on a pencil skirt. "How?" you repeated. "The closest thing we have to lead in what seems like forever is stabbed in a police station! How'd that guy even get a knife in the holding cell?" You let out a frustrated growl and banged your fist on the steering wheel.

"It was an unlucky accident, Jayden. Fights occur in holding cells all the time, it just appears that man was able to smuggle in a knife," Cas replied.

"I know," you groaned. "I just… this just really sucks. I hate sitting and waiting for leads. They miraculously seem fall into my lap and every single one turns out to be a bust. What I wouldn't give to have the upper hand just once and find this son of a bitch! Screw his accomplices and his aliases; I want to find that damn shifter." You leaned forward and rested your head on the steering wheel, taking a moment to feel sorry for yourself.

You closed your eyes and let out a sigh as Cas' hand rubbed soothing circles on your back. You didn't need his words for comfort, instead drawing strength from his touch.

The hand on your back suddenly froze.

"Cas?" you questioned, looking at the angel. He wasn't looking at you, though. He was watching something outside the car, his eyes slightly widened in shock. A frown marred his features and his shoulders were tense. "What is it?" you asked, sitting up straight and following his gaze.

Your eyes landed on a girl who looked to be about sixteen or seventeen. She had wild, long blonde hair and dark eye makeup. She wore ripped jeans and a leather jacket and was currently being dragged around by a policeman. You glanced back towards the angel but his attention was focused solely on the girl.

You turned again and watched as she struggled against the officer's hold. "Let… go of… me!" she huffed, trying to wrench her arm out of his grip.

"I don't think so, Novak. You got busted for shoplifting and I am sending your ass back to the group home. If I hear you ran away one more time, there will be hell to pay. All that paperwork is a bitch and frankly, I have better things to do," he said as he shoved the girl into the back of a cruiser and unceremoniously slammed the door. You could hear her muffled growl of frustration and watched as the cruiser left the station parking lot.

Cas stared after the cruiser and only seemed able to wrench his gaze away when you cleared your throat. "Who was that?" you asked.

The angel's face looked grim. "That was Claire Novak, my vessel's daughter."

 **XXXX**

You followed Cas down the dreary white hallway and shuddered. This group home seemed more like a prison and you counted yourself lucky that you had never ended up in one when you were younger… technically they would've sent you straight to prison if they had ever caught you. You did supposedly murder your own family after all.

You cleared your thoughts as the orderly leading Castiel stopped in front of a heavy door. He opened it and spoke to the occupant inside. "Novak. You got a visitor."

A surprised "really?" could be heard from within the room.

You watched the orderly nod his head. "Your father's here to see you."

You and Cas took that as your cue to step into the room. You watched as the girl's face look shocked and heard the quiet intake of breath when she realized Cas was not her father. A shadow crossed her face quickly before she managed a small smile. She didn't even seem to notice you as she kept her eyes trained on the angel.

"Hello, Claire," Cas said stiffly. "It's been a long time."

Claire didn't respond so you turned to the orderly. "Can we have a moment?"

You gave him a reassuring smile and he nodded his head. "I'll be outside," he said as he closed and locked the door. You turned back to see Cas take a step towards Claire.

"I'm not your father," he said bluntly. The girl clearly already knew that but you noticed the last little flare of hope fade from her eyes.

"Right. 'I'm not your father,'" she mimed. "Those are the first words you ever said to me, remember?" Her eyes were cold and dark, the edge of her voice giving away her resentment.

"I remember everything," Cas replied, looking contrite. He couldn't meet Claire's gaze and instead looked to the ground.

After the police car had disappeared, Cas had given you a brief summary of how he came to occupy Jimmy Novak. It was apparent that he had left out some details when you watched the exchange between him and Claire. The girl was obviously angry and beneath the rage, sad and lost. Cas felt bad, ridden with guilt and you, you didn't know what to feel. The two of them were acting like you weren't even there. You leaned against the doorframe and watched the events unfold.

"So do I, Castiel. My dad…" she paused and swallowed before continuing, "Is he still in there?" Once again the hope appeared in her eyes and you pitied the girl in front of you, already knowing the answer.

Cas glanced down at the floor, struggling to meet her gaze again. "No. The human soul, it can only occupy a body while it retains a certain… structural integrity, and this vessel, it was… it was ripped apart on a subatomic level by an archangel."

Confusion marred her features. "Well, then how are you…?"

"I was reassembled," Cas answered. You could hear a whisper of guilt in his voice, but Claire didn't seem to notice. "Your father is in heaven."

Her face seemed too pale under the harsh lights of the room and the dark eye makeup made her look sickly. "Well," she bit out. "Yay for him." She looked up at Castiel, ready to tell him to leave when she finally noticed you. Her gaze flitted past him to meet your own before flicking back to the angel. "Who's the trophy wife?" she asked.

Cas opened his mouth to reply but you beat him to it. "Jayden Montgomery," you said, arching an eyebrow and daring the girl to say something snarky.

Dark, angry eyes met yours as she said addressed Cas. "So, you're hanging out with a murderer?" She directed her next words at you. "What? Taking over that 'vessel' wasn't good enough for you, you had to kill the whole family too?" She must have noticed the shock on your face as she replied, "It's not a big secret, it's all over the news. Jayden Montgomery, blah, blah, blah, murderer of what, like eight people now, is it? You know, you angels are not all you're cracked up to be."

Hurt and rage welled within you when she mentioned your family so casually. You focused on the anger and couldn't stop yourself from taking a couple steps forward. "Listen here, you—"

Your words were cut off by the angel. He had grabbed your arm and shot you a brief look but you were unable to read his eyes. You could see guilt and sorrow but weren't sure if those emotions were for you or the daughter of his vessel. Another emotion was mixed in there but he turned away before you were able to comprehend it.

"Jayden is not an angel or a murderer. She's a hunter and a friend of mine."

Claire was still obviously unimpressed and turned away to the window. "Well, isn't that nice. Anyway, good talk. You can get the hell out of my life now."

You were pissed and oh so ready to leave. Let the girl stew in here for all you cared. Still, Cas stayed.

"Claire—" he started.

"What?" she cried, whirling around to face him again. Her blonde hair swung behind her. "Huh? What? You took everything from me. What do you want now?"

Her words stirred something within you but you were too angry to notice.

"Nothing," Cas said, suddenly disappointed. He seemed at a loss for words. "I just… I came here to help you."

"Why?" she demanded.

"Because I've hurt you so much." The honesty in Cas' voice nearly broke the girl. You saw her eyes water but she blinked the tears away quickly; the mask of anger never changing on her face.

After a moment of silence, Cas spoke softly, "Where is your mother?"

Claire took a deep breath before replying. "About a few months after you… she took off. Dropped me off at my grandma's and went to go 'find herself'. I guess she's still looking." The bitterness in her voice reminded you of another time but you couldn't bring yourself to dwell on it.

Cas continued. "And you're in a… child prison?"

"It's a group home," Claire replied. "After my Gran died, I didn't have anyone, so… I bounced around to different foster families. Places like this. Living the dream, you know?"

The anger instantly drained from your body when you realized why Claire's words sounded so familiar. The girl sounded exactly like you had not very long ago. She was lost in the world and had nobody. She was so mad at Cas, using her anger to hide her sadness and fear. You had been the exact same way for a long seven years.

All of the air seemed to leave your lungs and time stood frozen. It took a couple seconds before you noticed that Cas and Claire were staring at you with expectant and questioning looks… apparently, you had gasped. Cas raised an eyebrow prompting you to speak. "I… it's nothing, sorry. I just… Nevermind." They turned away from you and brought their attention back to each other.

You deflated, left only to feel sadness and a growing understanding of the girl. You listened as Cas spoke again. He sounded uncomfortable. "Well, Claire, I'm… I'm sorry, and… I can never replace what I took from you. But if there is anything you need, anything at all…"

Her eyes lit up. "Get me out of here."

You had a bad feeling about this.

 **XXXX**

You, Cas and Claire sat in front of a large wooden desk. Claire fidgeted with Cas' tie while you reminisced. The last time you had sat in front of a desk like this was in high school. You could still remember the look on the guidance counsellor, Ms Penbrooke's face when you told her you wanted to take a year off school to travel the world. She had nearly choked on her coffee and just kept shoving college brochures in your arms.

You were startled back into reality by the slamming of a door. Sandy, the woman who managed the group home, had walked into the office with a file in her hand. Cas stood up and leaned forward to shake her hand but she waved him off. "No, no," she said, sitting down and straightening the papers in the file.

Cas awkwardly sat back down as Sandy began to speak. "So… Mr Novak," she glanced at you before continuing, "This is your girlfriend, Ms Rogers?" You balked at the title but kept your face impassive. _What exactly had Claire told her?_

You let out a tight-lipped smile and nodded your head. Seemingly satisfied, Sandy continued again. "I understand you want custody of your daughter."

Cas' deep, gravelly angel voice began to answer. "Yes, that's uh—" He paused for a second and cleared his throat to make his voice less gruff sounding. "That's right."

"Why?" Sandy asked. A knot grew in your stomach as you watched her face. Her eyebrows were drawn together with suspicion and her gaze seemed to pierce right through the angel. Already, you could tell that she didn't like 'Jimmy Novak'.

"Excuse me?" Cas said evasively.

"It's a simple question. You vanish for years. No contact, not even a Christmas card. Why come back now?" She looked at Cas expectantly.

You watched the angel shift uncomfortably in his seat and shot a look at Claire. You hoped she was able to read your face and understand what you were trying to say. This wasn't going to go well, Cas wasn't a good liar. It was up to you and her to convince Sandy that he should have responsibility for her.

"I, um… I didn't, uh… I was travelling," the angel finally answered.

"For work," Claire piped up.

Sandy glanced at Claire, still looking suspicious. "That's also how we met," you interjected. "I was vacationing in Europe when I met Jimmy." You took a second to look adoringly at Cas and hold his hand before continuing with your lie. He looked shocked but squeezed your hand back. "He told me all about his job and his daughter back home. I thought it was so noble of him to work so hard so that he could return and give her the life she had always wanted. It's probably one of the reasons I couldn't help falling in love with him."

You looked back to Sandy and smiled. She seemed slightly surprised but gave away nothing more. She wrote something in the file in front of her. "Long trip," she finally said. "And what is it that you do exactly, Mr Novak?"

"I… uh… I fight certain deadly threats to humanity." You cringed at the angel's inability to lie.

"He works for the government," Claire supplied. "You know, foreign affairs and national security, all that."

"Yes," Cas shook his head vigorously, "I work for the government."

Sandy seemed to be considering the story. There was a long moment of silence in which you were starting to wonder if the three of you would actually be able to pull it off. Suddenly, Claire spoke up. "What does this matter? He's my dad and he wants to sign me out, so I'm out. That's the law, Sandy."

Sandy's penetrating gaze fell on Claire. "Claire, wait for me in the hallway."

Claire began to protest. "You can't—"

"Now," Sandy said with finality. Claire stood up from her chair and proceeded to stomp from the room. You watched her go, reminded of the fact that she was still only a kid. When you turned back to face Sandy, you withered under her gaze.

Her eyes were cold and direct, her features made into a mask of coolness. "I don't do well with liars, Mr Novak."

You and Cas began protesting at the same time but Sandy held up a hand. "Save it," she said. "I'm denying your application for custody. I'm not trying to be the bad guy here. I'm not. But until Claire turns eighteen, she is my responsibility. I know you're trying to do what you think is best. I know you want to be her friend."

Cas shook his head eagerly. "I do."

"And that's our problem Mr Novak," Sandy replied. "Claire's troubled. The last few years have not been easy for her. She needs a father and a mother, not a friend and his girlfriend who appears to be only a few years older than her."

Indignation spread throughout your body but you willed yourself to keep quiet as Sandy packed up the file and headed to the door. After it closed and the sound of her heels clicking on the floor faded, you turned to Cas.

The angel sat deflated in his chair. "I'm sorry, Cas," you said, resting a hand on his arm. "We tried our best but some things just aren't meant to be. Maybe this is what's best for Claire right now?"

His blue eyes looked up to meet yours. There was a new determination burning in them as he spoke, "No. We're not giving up yet. We're getting her out of here."

 **XXXX**

"I don't know about this, Cas," you whispered. "Sandy said Claire was troubled, maybe it is best that she stays here. Besides, you don't know how to take care of a kid."

You and Cas walked down the dark, empty hallway of the group home, staring at each other. "But, I promised her I would help, Jayden. I owe it to her. She's right after all; it's my fault her life turned out like this." His face was determined and his tone left no room for argument.

"Fine," you sighed. "Let's be quick about this. The authorities don't need another reason to put me away."

Cas' eyes lit up, making it appear as though they were sapphires glinting in the dark. He nodded his head once before hurrying down the hallway. You followed a couple paces behind, eyes alert and watching for any guards.

Cas was nearly at Claire's room when a guard suddenly stepped quietly into the hallway. His back was facing you, unaware of your presence as he reached for the taser at his hip. Without hesitation, you jumped on his back, wrapping your arms around his neck and silencing his yell.

"Cas," you hissed through gritted teeth. The angel turned to look at you, his eyes widening in surprise when he took in the scene.

Your legs were wrapped around the guard's hips while your arms encircled his neck. He struggled against your hold, taking a few steps back as he clawed at your forearms. He turned suddenly and slammed back into the wall. Your spine shook with the impact and your arms loosened slightly.

The guard let out a loud gasp and you retightened your grip. "Cas!" you hissed, more urgently this time.

The angel sprang into action and rushed down the hall to place two fingers on the guard's forehead. You felt the guard begin to slump and unwound your legs from around his waist to place your feet firmly on the ground. His dead weight was heavy in your arms as you struggled to gently lower him to the ground.

Cas looked at you with concerned eyes but you waved him on, slowly following behind and trying to catch your breath. You heard Claire's surprised intake of breath as the door opened. "It's you," she said. "What's going on?"

"We're getting you out of here," Cas whispered.

Claire didn't hesitate as she turned to grab her jacket from the bed. You could hear her footsteps behind you as you and Cas exited the room. They stopped suddenly when the two of you walked past the guard. A sharp intake of breath caused you to turn around and look at the girl. She stared down at the security guard and asked, "Is he…?"

"He's unconscious," you replied, running out of patience. You turned back around, satisfied when you could hear footsteps hurrying to catch up.

 **XXXX**

An awkward silence had settled around the table as you and Claire ate. Cas had ordered food in an attempt to keep up appearances but hadn't touched it. You swiped a couple fries off his plate and looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to speak.

He remained quiet, though, and stared at Claire instead as she dragged her own fries through ketchup. Finally having enough, she looked up at him and asked, "What?"

"Nothing. It's just… you could eat a vegetable." You snorted at Cas' attempt to be parental and shared an unexpected smile with Claire.

"Ketchup's a vegetable," she replied. You smiled again as Cas made a face, unsure whether to believe her. You knocked your knee against his under the table while Claire laughed. When you had his attention you shook your head subtly, trying to tell him that she was in fact, bullshitting him.

"You've changed," Claire said suddenly. "The Castiel I met? He was crappy. Like super stuck-up and a dick and you just wanted to punch him in his stupid angel face."

You laughed at her words and shook your head, throwing her a conspiratorial smile. "Somedays I still want to punch him in his stupid angel face."

Claire laughed again as Cas shot you a look. "I don't think I was _that_ bad."

"You totally were," Claire said. "And now you're just… I don't know. Nicer. And kind of a doof. No offense."

You snorted into your iced tea as Cas shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, well, um… before, I was very self-assured. I was convinced I was on this righteous path. Now I realize that there is no righteous path. It's just people trying to do their best in a world where it's far too easy to do your worst."

He was right of course, but Claire mocked him. "Wow. Deep," she deadpanned.

Cas was undeterred. "Yeah. For a doof."

You watched a reluctant smile inch across Claire's face when the waitress suddenly walked up beside you. She left the check on the table and you nodded at her. "Thank you," you said before she walked away.

Another heavy silence descended on the table. This time, Cas broke it as he said, "So… where do we go next?"

Claire took a deep breath before replying. "Look. I appreciate the meal. And, you know, the felony," she said, glancing between the two of you. "But you don't need to babysit me. I can take care of myself."

Another pang of familiarity filled your chest at her words. They had sounded nearly identical to the words you spit at Sam and Dean not that long ago.

"What do you mean?" Cas asked, bringing you back to the present.

"I mean you feel guilty, so you busted me out. So thanks, but we're good. Even Stevens."

"No," Cas stuttered, searching for an excuse, "We, um… we committed a crime and you might need us again. So I—I think we should stick together."

You knew Claire's mind wouldn't be changed so quickly and easily. The look in her eyes was not lost on you when she said, "Okay. You want to get some stuff for the road? I have to pee."

You let out a sigh and leaned back in your chair as the angel took the bait. They both stood at the same time and stumbled into one another, trying to reach their respective destinations. Claire's hand was deft as she reached into Cas' pocket for his wallet without his notice. They parted ways and you watched Claire's blonde head retreat into the bathroom.

A panicked Cas returned to the table a couple minutes later. "My wallet's gone. Where's Claire?" he demanded.

"She's gone, Cas," you replied.

"She's… what? Did you check the washroom? Why didn't you stop her?"

"She's gone, Cas."

Betrayal swam to the surface of the ocean that was the angel's eyes. He didn't say anything more as he ran out the front door of the restaurant. You slowly got up and followed him, leaving a tip for the waitress and paying for the meal.

The bell clanged as the door closed behind you. Cas stood on the sidewalk, looking wilted. You walked up behind him and hesitantly placed a hand on his shoulder. He stiffened under your touch as you trailed off. "Well…?"

"You're right. She's gone." An undercurrent of hurt ran through his voice and you felt a twinge of guilt. He looked up to meet your gaze with stormy eyes. "You knew she was going to run." It wasn't a question. "Why didn't you stop her?"

You let out a sigh and ran your hand down the length of the angel's arm to clutch his hand. He didn't pull away and you took that as a good sign. "Listen to me, Cas. I know how that girl is feeling. I was probably worse off at her age. My whole family was gone and I was angry at the world. And, it's just… not everyone needs to be saved by someone else. Some people need to save themselves."


	19. Claire Novak

It's been quite a long time, but I still don't own Supernatural. It's late here and I'm half delirious because I just got my wisdom teeth out today, but I hope this chapter is decent and you all enjoy it! Happy Wednesday morning everyone!

 **XXXX**

You, Cas and the Winchesters stood outside of the restaurant Claire had fled earlier. Cas was still upset with you, though he had listened patiently to your explanation. He was hurt a first, grasping for understanding but it quickly morphed into irritation by the time you were finished. Your arguments hadn't convinced him and his eyes were dubious pools of blue. He still desperately wanted to save Claire from whatever he thought was out there.

You sighed to yourself with resignation. Of course, he had a right to be mad at you but you were convinced you had done the right thing in letting Claire go. She blamed Cas for the way her life had gone to shit… and it wasn't entirely undeserved in your opinion. He had, after all, taken her father away from her which resulted in his death and her mother's subsequent departure.

Claire was stubborn and she was angry like you couldn't believe; she wasn't going to accept help from Cas. She was a smart girl, though, and she was tough; she'd be able to survive out there on her own until she worked through some things.

And maybe Cas' conscious wouldn't be cleared but that was too bad. If Claire didn't want his help, she didn't have to accept it. She had to do what was best for her and no one else.

A pang of guilt reverberated somewhere within you, reminding you that she was still only a teenage girl… and from your experience, the world seemed to crush teenage girls.

Dean's sudden incredulity brought you back to the present. "This is why you called us? _This_ is your emergency?" he asked.

"Yes!" Cas said emphatically. His desperate stare seemed to bore holes through the Winchesters but when he turned to look at you, his gaze was one of accusation. You rolled your eyes when he turned around and sighed again.

"No, Cas!" Dean replied. "An emergency is a dead body, okay? Or—or a wigged-out angel or the apocalypse, take three. Some chick bolting on you is not an emergency. That's… well, that's every Friday night for Sam."

You snorted and ignored the irritated glare the angel shot you. Dean turned to his brother, a small and inappropriate smile gracing his face seemingly against his will.

"Dude," Sam scolded.

"This isn't just 'some chick'," Cas protested. "I'm responsible for her."

"Since when?" you scoffed. An icy blue gaze met yours.

"Yeah," Dean added. "You met her once, how many years ago?"

"Look, Cas," Sam interjected. "Even if we do find Claire… then what?"

"She rolled you and then she ran, okay? It's pretty clear that she doesn't want to play house," Dean finished.

"I understand," Cas started. "But I need to know that Claire is safe. And I need your help." A pinprick of guilt poked at your heart again and you almost regretted your actions. Cas was doing what he thought was right… just as you were.

His eyes drifted towards you to give you a pointed look and the guilt instantly evaporated.

"Alright. Uh…" Sam paused, trying to come up with something to placate the angel.

"Why don't you guys go ask around the group home?" you piped up, trying your best to play nice with the angel.

You couldn't help yourself though, as you shot him your own dirty look. Both Winchesters seemed to be oblivious as Dean spoke. "Sam, you go ahead. We're going to stick around here in case she circles back."

"Thank you," Cas said, ignoring you completely.

 **XXXX**

Sam had left for the group home, leaving you, Cas and Dean to wait around the restaurant. The older Winchester had declared his hunger which resulted in the three of you entering the establishment and ordering food. You and the angel sat on opposite sides of the table, the aforementioned Winchester in-between you. A heavy silence had settled around you, unbeknownst to Dean who was too busy making love to his burger to notice.

You rolled your eyes with affection as he leaned back, wiping his hands on a napkin and chewing the last bite of his burger. "Alright, spill," he said, looking at Cas. "What's with the family reunion?"

"I don't know," Cas replied. "I've just been… thinking about people. I've helped some but I've… I've hurt some."

"So you're having a midlife crisis," you mocked.

"Well, I'm extremely old. I think I'm entitled." There was an edge to Cas' voice and his annoyed gaze locked onto yours, daring you to look away.

Dean shook his head and spoke, effectively diverting the angel's attention. "Cas, listen to me. There's some stuff you just got to let go, okay? The people you let down, the ones you can't save… you got to forget about them. For your own good."

You agreed with Dean and shot Cas a look but the angel avoided your gaze. "Is that what you do?" he asked Dean.

"That's the opposite of what I do," Dean replied. "But I ain't exactly a role model."

There was a long moment of silence in which you were each left with your own thoughts. Cas spoke again suddenly. "I just… her life turned out this way because of me and I just want a chance to make things right, to help her fix things."

Dean seemed to be considering his words. "Maybe… maybe she doesn't need you to fix things. Maybe she just has to go it alone. You know, prove to herself that she's strong and she's capable."

You looked triumphantly at the angel but he only narrowed his eyes in response before looking away. Sighing, you stood up from the table and mumbled something about a washroom. You walked away, glancing over your shoulder and when neither Cas nor Dean looked at you, you changed course and headed outside for some air.

You felt validated hearing Dean saying your thoughts out loud but you couldn't shake the niggling guilt. Cas was doing what he thought was right and maybe you should've helped him but his sudden coolness caused your heart to tighten. It hurt but it also outraged you. You had been Claire only a few years ago, you knew exactly how she felt yet he wasn't taking anything you said seriously!

You only had a moment of peace when Sam suddenly approached you.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked, causing you to jump.

"I just… you know—needed air," you supplied, shrugging your shoulders and looking sheepish.

He gave you a weird look but didn't ask any questions. "Alright, well go get Cas and Dean. I found someone who might be able to lead us to Claire."

 **XXXX**

You, Sam and Cas stood outside the Weiner Hut, waiting with your hands in your pockets. A shiver ran down your breath as your breath puffed out in front of you and you shuffled your feet in an attempt to keep warm.

You glanced at Cas out of the corner of your eye as a tense silence filled the air. The angel showed no outward signs of coldness and stood stick straight, avoiding your gaze. _Of course, he has a cold exterior… it matches his heart._

You snorted to yourself, amused with your own thoughts. The sudden noise caused Sam to shoot you a questioning look and he glanced at Cas before looking around for his brother. Dean had gone to find something to eat, leaving the three of you to wait in the unseasonably cold fall evening.

The silence grew to vastly uncomfortable proportions and you opened your mouth to say something… anything, when Sam suddenly cut you off.

"Dustin Tate?" he asked an approaching dark-haired boy.

"Nah, man," the kid answered off-handedly.

"Oh, really?" Sam put a hand on the kid's chest but before he could do anything Cas suddenly marched up and grabbed the back of Dustin's jacket.

"Yes, you are," he said, menacingly. The boy's eyes widened in fear as Cas shoved him back against the wall. "And you're going to tell me where Claire Novak is. Now," he demanded. His stern angel voice caused your heart to thump loudly but you ignored it, focusing on your annoyance.

The angel grabbed Dustin by the throat and lifted him off the ground.

"Jesus Christ—" you muttered as the kid started to gasp and choke.

Suddenly, Dean materialized beside you, eating a hotdog. "I'd do what he says," he suggested around a mouthful of food, gesturing to the angel and looking at Dustin. The kid still hung on the wall, gasping for breath and grabbing at Cas' arm.

You and Sam shot Dean a look but the older Winchester just smiled cheekily. He gestured behind him, to the Weiner Hut and gave you a thumbs up. You rolled your eyes and turned back to the situation to find Dustin on the ground, still gasping while Cas stared at the three of you.

"We need to hurry."

 **XXXX**

"Hey, is everything okay between you and Cas?" Sam asked as you waited for the angel outside a brightly lit convenience store. You were seated on the hood of the impala with the Winchesters flanking either side of you.

Dean glanced at you with thinly-veiled surprise but said nothing. You let out a sigh and looked between them. "He's mad at me because I let Claire run away from that restaurant."

"But that's not your fault—" Sam started.

You waved him off and glanced at the ground. "It is, though. I knew she was going to leave, I watched her steal Cas' wallet and I didn't do anything to stop her."

The Winchesters stared at you with identical looks of shock but you continued. "I just… I just don't think Claire needs Cas looking after her. I know he wants to help and means well but it's got to be hard for her to see the man she blames for her father's death, you know? Why can't he see that?" You huffed in frustration.

Sam opened his mouth as if to say something, thought better of it and closed it again. A moment passed in silence before Dean said, "Don't be too frustrated. He won't be mad for long, kid. You've been in the girl's shoes; you probably know how to handle this situation better than any of us. And personally, I think you're right. This girl doesn't want our help, and I hope the angel figures that out soon."

Your niggling doubts wormed their way into your thoughts and you sighed before saying, "What if we're wrong, though? Just because I had a similar experience, doesn't mean her and I will handle things the same. I mean, she seems smart and tough but she's so mad… and look where she's ended up right now. Robbing a convenience store," you scoffed. "Maybe Cas is right and she needs our help?"

Nobody spoke for a moment and you look at the brothers. Sam's brow was creased as he looked in the distance. Again, Dean was the one that spoke his steady green eyes meeting your doubtful gaze. "If you're wrong, it's just one mistake, Jayden. The angel will get over it, he'll forgive you. I mean, some of the things that Sam and I and even Cas have done… seemed unforgivable but we're all here right now, together."

You nodded your head, comforted but suddenly and inexplicably exhausted. The three of you lapsed into a comfortable silence when suddenly, Claire walked past the impala. Cas could be heard calling out behind her, "Claire, wait!"

She turned around and stomped her foot on the ground. "Screw you!" she yelled at the angel.

The impala shifted under you as Dean stood up. "Whoa, hey, Miley Cyrus. Settle."

Claire turned her attention to the three of you. Her eyes glittered with anger as she bit out, "Eat me, Hasselhoff."

Sam stood too while you remained seated, too tired to get up. You anger had drained you and you were quickly becoming sick of Claire's attitude and Cas' stubborn determination to help her.

Sam held his hands up in a placating gesture. "Claire, hold on a second," he said in a soft, soothing tone. "Look, my name's—"

"Sam," she interrupted, her harsh voice like a crack in the still night. "And you're Dean, and you're Jayden," she said, looking at each of you in turn. "We've all met."

"Claire," Cas scolded. "You were going to rob that convenience store?"

"So?" she spat, pushing her hair away from her face and staring at the angel defiantly.

"So?" Cas spluttered. "So… it's—it's wrong!"

"You want to talk to me about wrong? You killed my dad. Is that 'wrong' enough for you?"

Cas' eyes dimmed but he refused to look away. "No, I didn't."

"Really?" she cried, clearly frustrated. "Because without you, he'd still be here and my mom would still be around."

"Claire, I'm—" Cas started, taking a step towards her. She leapt back from him and wrenched a gun out of the pocket of her sweatshirt. You heard the click as she cocked it and pointed it at the angel. Shock seemed to fill your bones with lead and you were unable to move.

"Don't!" she yelled hysterically, her hand shaking slightly.

Cas looked almost sad when he told her, "That won't hurt me."

"Fine," she growled, turning and suddenly facing you and the Winchesters. The barrel of her gun glinted in the moonlight as she stared you down.

Both Sam and Dean threw their hands up in innocence, spewing protestations. You sat frozen still, staring past Claire and the gun, at Cas. His eyes were wide as he looked back at you with alarm.

Claire ignored the Winchesters protests, waving the gun between them. "Why? Like you don't have it coming? You stood there while this monster took my dad."

She suddenly pointed the gun at you. Her hand had stopped shaking. "And you," she added. "How can you love him knowing everything he's done?"

Your gaze locked on hers. Her eyes were wild and emotional; she wore her heart on her sleeve. You, on the other hand, had a much better poker face. You kept your face impassive as the others reacted to her accusation. Sam watched you, his own face suspiciously devoid of surprise while Dean looked confused, glancing between you and the angel and then back to Claire.

Panic swirled in Cas' eyes as you started to speak. "You don't know—"

"Oh, don't deny it," she scoffed. "It's been obvious since I met you… and he clearly feels the same way. I don't know what they all did to brainwash you, but I don't want to end up like that."

There was a tense moment of silence in which nobody said anything.

Claire suddenly spoke again, rounding on Cas and putting the gun down in the process. "I used to pray to you, Castiel." She suddenly sounded exhausted and her grip slackened on the weapon. "Every night I would beg you to bring him home safe."

"I know," Cas said, looking heartbroken.

"You know… ?" Claire glanced at the ground in shock before looking back up. Her eyes were even angrier, burning furiously.

"My father was a good man," she said. "In what messed up world does he have to die and you get to live?"

Her eyes were accusing as she stared at the angel. "I'm sorry," was all he said.

"No," she said, vehemently. "You feel guilty. There's a difference."

A long pause meant Sam was finally able to regain his voice. "So what?" he asked. "Now you run back to Randy? The guy you steal for?"

"How do you know about that?" she demanded.

"Dustin," you supplied grimly.

Cas spoke again, his tone desperate. "Claire, that man is using you."

She shook her head, looking around at the four of you. "He was there for me," she said through clenched teeth. "When things got bad—and they got _real damn bad_ —he was there when no one else was. _He's_ my family. And you're just… you can go to hell. All of you," she said, looking at each one of you.

She turned abruptly, blonde hair swinging behind her as she walked away.

The four of you sat in a heavy silence when Dean suddenly nudged your arm with his elbow. "Is what she said true?" he whispered. "You and Angel Boy?"

 **XXXX**

You and the Winchesters made your way up to the bar through the smoke and pool players. Cas had claimed he needed a minute and was currently pacing around out front of the pub.

Dean ordered three whiskeys as you sat down on creaky stools. The bartender placed a shot in front of each of you as the older Winchester turned to face you, his eyebrows raised suggestively. "You never answered my question back there."

You tore your gaze away from his and downed the shot. Wiping your mouth on your sleeve, you said, "I'm gonna need more alcohol if we're going into detail." The bartender returned and refilled you shot glass in kind.

Sam let out a laugh as Dean pressed for more information. "Come on, kid."

"Ugh, alright," you grumbled. "It's definitely not love though."

"I knew something was going on!" Sam said, suddenly smug.

You rolled your eyes at the younger Winchester as Dean looked at him in shock. "You knew? How? What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Come on, Dean," Sam scoffed. "You mean to tell me you never noticed them holding hands under the dinner table? And what about the fact that Cas couldn't keep his eyes off her? I mean, geez, whenever she walked in the room, he forgot what he was saying… besides, there was also this one time when…" he trailed off, looking at you.

"When what?" Dean demanded.

"I kissed Cas in front of Sam and Gadreel," you finished for Sam.

"What? Where the hell was I?"

You shrugged your shoulders. "I don't know, running around with Crowley, I think." You downed your other shot.

"So, it's for real then?" Dean asked.

"Yep."

"You like the angel brain? He makes you happy?"

"Maybe not at this very second, but yes, generally."

"You know what?" Dean suddenly said. "That's good enough for me. I mean, yeah, it's weird and the angel's a dork but as long as you're happy that's all that matters."

You looked to the older Winchester. His gaze was sincere as he nodded his head at you. You looked to Sam next and while he still had that small, smug smile on his face, his eyes sparkled genuinely.

Despite the recent animosity between you and the angel, you couldn't help the small smile that graced your face. "Thanks, guys," you said, suddenly unable to meet their gazes.

Cas finally decided to show up and collapsed onto the stool next to Dean. "Give me a shot of… um…" he trailed off, looking at the bartender.

"Make that another whiskey," Dean supplied. All thoughts of yours and Cas' relationships seemed to be forgotten with the arrival of your dismal feathered friend.

Cas ducked his head in silent disappointment as Sam watched him. "Cas," he started. "Don't beat yourself up, man. Claire was…"

"Right. You were all right. Who am I to tell her how to live her life?"

Cas looked at you when he spoke but you shook your head quickly, starting to realize that maybe Claire could use some help getting her feet under her. "We weren't right Cas. This Randy guy sounds like a piece of crap and somebody needs to help her realize that… I mean, she did just try to rob a Gas n Sip."

"But that was because of me," he sighed. "She's not going to accept my help because I'm the one that caused all of this."

You looked down at your empty shot glass, knowing Cas was right but not having the heart to confirm it for him. Dean was the only one brave enough to say, "Well, you are wearing her old man's meat suit. Probably didn't help."

Sam gave his brother a pointed look over your head. "I thought I could make it up to her," Cas mumbled.

"I don't think you can," Sam said gently. "I mean, Jimmy was her father and to some people, that's… that's everything, you know?"

"No, I don't," the angel replied matter-of-factly."I never knew my father. He was distant, to say the least." Cas looked at the three of you in turn. "What about you? Did you love your fathers?"

Sam and Dean started to reminisce about their father as you were seemingly sucked back in time. While John Winchester had been a strict and disciplinary father, yours had been the complete opposite. He had fluffy brown hair like Isaiah, although his was considerably thinner and he wore glasses which he constantly lost.

When you were younger, he used to read books to you before bed. He would make sure the blankets were tucked around your chin before sitting on the edge of the mattress. He read diligently and never tired when you asked for the same book every night for weeks. He always gave in when you asked for just one more story and surprised you sometimes by coming up with his own.

He was an amazing cook, his speciality being breakfast. Every Sunday morning, he would get up earlier than everyone else to make pancakes, being careful to arrange the blueberries into smiles no matter how old you got. He'd proceed to chase Jace around the kitchen in his flour-covered apron, depositing massive amounts of white powder into your younger brother's hair.

He was there whenever you needed him which you constantly had. Whenever you were injured, you'd run to him only feeling comforted when he placed a healing kiss on your wound. He listened patiently to every story you and your brothers told and provided comic relief throughout using his patented 'dad jokes'. You used to groan at them but you secretly loved them and missed them ferociously.

A longing cut through you and you were shaken from your reverie when Sam mentioned your name. "What about your dad, Jayden?" You knew the words you wanted to say but when you tried to speak, your throat seemed to close up. Cas' gaze caught your eye and it was the first time in what seemed like a long time that it was devoid of annoyance.

His eyes were clear and blue, shimmering with sympathy. He nodded his head as if to encourage you and you drew strength from his gaze.

Finally, you were able to choke out, "I loved him like you wouldn't believe. Still do." You ignored their gazes and signaled to the bartender for one more shot.

The Winchesters just nodded their heads and everyone spent a moment, thinking about their respective fathers before Cas sighed and asked, "Do you think Claire is in trouble?"

You gave a small nod as Dean answered. "She's hanging out with a guy named Randy. She's in trouble."

 **XXXX**

You stood behind Cas, Sam and Dean at Randy's front door. You couldn't see past the Winchesters very well when the door was wrenched open but a loud thud could be heard from inside as Cas stepped over the threshold.

The brothers followed after him and you were able to take in the scene. A man lay sprawled on the floor from what you assumed to be a heavy blow by Cas' hand. Looking up, you noticed Randy tied to a chair, two men flanking him on either side. Claire was nowhere in sight. A pit began in your stomach.

One of the 'guards' took a step forward but Sam pointed his gun in his face. "Don't!" he cried.

The man stepped back slowly, hands in the air. The other man followed suit, mirroring the first one's gesture. It was silent for a moment as Cas surveyed the room. In the silence, you heard muffled thuds coming from the second floor and glanced at the ceiling. Your stomach sank with realization and dread filled your bones as you took off for the stairs.

You had just reached the top when an ear-splitting scream rang out from the second door on the right. You yanked on the handle but it was locked. Urgency drove your actions as you took a step back. The door was kicked down easily and you stumbled into the room as the doorjamb splintered.

Cas' pounding footsteps could be heard on the stairs behind you and somewhere in the back of your mind, you realized he had come to the same conclusion that you had.

The thought was wiped quickly from your brain when you took in the scene before you. The man you assumed to be the loan shark stopped and stilled, turning away from a writhing Claire to look at you. He sneered and opened his mouth as if to say something but Claire used the temporary distraction to kick him in the face and scramble off the floor. You remained in the doorway, as he fell to the ground, whereupon Claire repeatedly kicked him in the stomach.

Your own stomach churned with the realization of what Randy had agreed to. _That sick bastard. He was gonna this asshole do whatever he wanted to her, for what? A couple extra days? She's only a girl._ Finally finding your voice, you called out to her. "Claire." She didn't respond. "Claire!" you said louder, still not catching her attention.

You took a couple steps towards her and placed a hand on her arm. She finally stilled at your touch and stopped kicking the man to stare at you with wide, frightened eyes. She buried her face in her hands as you slung an arm across her trembling shoulders.

A shocked Cas stood in the doorway and you nodded at him as he shifted to the side, allowing you to pass. You rubbed Claire's arm in an attempt to comfort her as you guided her back downstairs.

She looked up from her hands and ducked under your arm when she saw Randy. The tension in her shoulders was obvious as she kept herself from running to him. "Randy," she said, taking a couple steps toward him.

He didn't respond and instead looked at the floor guiltily.

Her face seemed to shatter. "Randy?" she questioned, her voice sounding small and broken. He remained silent and Claire's shoulder fell, trembling once again. Your heart seemed to crack a tiny bit at the girl's reaction.

"Get her out of here," Dean ordered.

"Yeah. Go." Sam nodded his agreement, glancing back at you and Cas.

Cas stepped towards her, placing a hand on her arm and although she flinched at his touch, she didn't pull away.

"Go," Dean said again, more forcefully this time. He nodded his head at Cas as the angel steered Claire towards the door. You shared a look with Sam as he followed them out, and then turned to make sure Dean followed behind.

Your heart stopped as you watched the loan shark hit Dean over the head with a beer bottle. It shattered on the floor in a spray of brown glass as the older Winchester began to bleed from his forehead. He was slightly stunned but his muscles tensed, ready to attack as the three men approached him.

"Oh, shit," you whispered, horrified. With the Mark of Cain, this was guaranteed to be a blood bath.

Dean shook his head as if trying to clear his thoughts before struggling to say, "You guys… you guys don't want to do this."

The loan shark laughed in Dean's face and spit on the floor.

"Dean," you said, trying to gain his attention. One of the men looked at you as if surprised you were still there but the older Winchester didn't react. "Dean, don't do this," you pleaded.

The men shared another round of laughter.

The older Winchester continued to ignore you and instead, lunged at the unprepared men. You threw yourself on his back trying to wrench him away from the fight but he shook you off as if you weighed nothing.

"Dean, stop!" you begged, grabbing at his arms as he punched one of the loan sharks' cronies. He wrenched free from your grasp and accidentally elbowed you in the head in the process. Stars danced before your vision as you stumbled to the floor.

His eyes didn't look like his eyes anymore, you thought to yourself. Something was awake inside them, something wild and feral.

Blood was the last thing you saw before the world went black.

 **XXXX**

You awoke with a start. Sweat lined your brow and your heart was racing. Your dreams had been filled with visions of wild animals. They stalked you like prey as Cas stood by doing nothing. You shivered at the nightmare and took a moment to let your eyes adjust. You felt around with your hands. It seemed you were lying in a bed. Your bed, you realized when you looked around the room.

You didn't remember returning to the bunker. Confused, you sat up and swung your legs over the edge of the bed. You regretted that decision instantly when your stomach jumped into your throat. Taking deep, steadying breaths, you tried to remember what happened.

You remembered going to Randy's to find Claire and you remember finding her with a loan shark in an upstairs bedroom. You were almost sick again for an entirely different reason. You remembered being about to leave the house but Dean stopped. And blood, you remembered so much blood.

You glanced in the mirror and froze when you saw your reflection. Your hair was a mess, matted with dried blood. It also stained your clothes causing them to stick to your skin with an awkward stiffness. Your heartbeat quickened when you realized you weren't totally sure whose blood this was.

Panic was creeping into your chest but you tried your best to calm it. You stood, ignoring the dizzying wave of sickness again and stumbled down the hallway, nearly tripping into the war room. Sam and Cas looked at you with surprise but couldn't say anything before you bombarded them with questions.

"Are you guys alright? What happened? Where's Dean and whose blood is this? Where's Claire? Is she alright? What happened to the loan shark?"

Sam approached you hesitantly, speaking as if he were talking to a small child. "Whoa, whoa, yeah, we're okay. Everyone is okay. You were the one we were worried about. Dean is just in the gym and Claire is staying at a hotel. Everything is fine. We came back to the bunker after Dean killed Rand and the loan shark and his guys." He wrapped an arm around your shoulders and led you to an empty chair.

Cas procured a mug of tea from seemingly nowhere and you took it, grateful for the warmth that seeped into your fingers. He pulled up a chair in front of you and spread his legs so your knees fit between his. He rested a hand on your thigh as he looked at you. "Everyone is fine, Jayden. Sam's right, you were the one we were worried about. How do you feel?"

"I feel… okay," you said slowly.

Cas let out a breath that he seemed to be holding. His grip on your leg tightened as he looked away. When his gaze met yours again, his eyes were brimming with emotion. "Jayden… I'm so sorry for how I've been acting. I just… when I saw you lying there in all the blood, I thought… well, I realized that what we were fighting about didn't matter. Nothing else mattered to me in that moment… except you—"

You shook your head at Cas and set the mug of tea down, trying to find the right words. "Fuck that," you finally decided on. " _I_ was wrong. You're not the one that should be apologizing."

"Jayden, I don't—" Cas began but you cut him off.

"No, you were right to be mad at me. I'm sorry for letting Claire leave that restaurant. I just… I don't know, I guess I saw some of myself in her. She seemed smart and tough, I thought she'd be able to survive out there on her own until she was ready to sort through things but I was wrong." You looked away bitterly.

"And then I acted like a snide idiot," you scoffed. "I didn't even have a reason to be mad at you. You were completely right."

Cas' hand on your knee moved to intertwine with your fingers. His other hand came up to caress your face forcing him to look at you as his thumb brushed along your jaw. "I don't care about any of that, Jayden. Claire is fine… of course, she's still angry but things are under control. I'm just glad you're safe. I care about you."

Your face heated at Cas' words and your eye flicked to Sam. He stood with his hands in his pockets, avoiding your gaze. You lowered your voice to a whisper. "I care about you too, Cas but maybe we could do this another time? …When there's no Winchesters around?"

Cas smiled and leaned forward to place a soft kiss on your lips. "Those Winchesters are just going to have to get used to it," he whispered.

He pulled away and stood up, leaving you with a warm feeling that seeped all the way to your toes. You glanced at Sam again and cleared your throat before speaking. "I'm gonna… take a shower and get cleaned up."

Sam nodded at you, not quite meeting your eyes as you got up and walked away, the sound of Cas' concerns about Claire fading away behind you.

 **XXXX**

"Where's Cas?" you asked as you stepped back into the war room, toweling off your hair. The clean clothes had felt like heaven against your skin.

Sam didn't seem able to meet your gaze for a moment. "He, uh… he went to get Metatron from heaven's jail."

You stopped short. "Why?" you demanded. The unexpected answer seemed random and nearly incomprehensible to you.

"Well, he wrote all the tablets and he's one of the only people to say that he's seen God… so we were hoping he might know something to help us get rid of the Mark."

"Does Dean know about this?"

"Not yet, but we're gonna tell him, I swear!"

You looked Sam over skeptically. This didn't sound like the greatest idea to you and you knew the younger Winchester was getting desperate. "Do you think Metatron is actually gonna give up any information though? You guys did kind of ruin his heaven and lock him up for eternity. He hates you guys and Cas."

Sam looked sheepish as he smoothed his hair. "We haven't figured everything out yet, okay? But you know what Dean did. He killed _people_ , Jayden. We need to try something."

You sighed, knowing Sam was right. "Where's Claire?" you asked, changing the topic.

Sam looked confused for a moment before answering. "In a hotel, not far from here. Why do you want to know?"

"I want to make sure she's okay. After all, she thought of Randy as a father figure and now he's dead. Obviously, he was a piece of shit but none of this is easy for her."

 **XXXX**

You knocked on the door and waited a couple seconds before opening it. Claire was walking around the room, picking things up and quickly shoving them in a duffel bag.

"Going somewhere?" you asked.

She whirled around. The anger drained from her face when her eyes landed on you. "Oh, I thought you were _him._ "

"Who, Cas?"

"Yes, Castiel. He keeps trying to talk to me as if we're the Brady Bunch or something."

You laughed but Claire's face showed no trace of humour. "Sorry. I just… he just wants to help, you know."

Claire scoffed and looked away. "I don't want his help. He killed my father and he looks exactly like him. I mean, it's his body, but he's dead and I know that Castiel feels bad, but I can't… I can barely stand to look at him. And Dean, he killed Randy. Randy was the closest thing I had to family."

She stopped talking, still not meeting your and you looked at her, assessing her. "Look, I'm gonna tell you some things and you're not gonna like them, but you need to hear them." A flare of anger returned to her eyes but you continued before she could protest. "Randy wasn't any good. He used you to get money to pay off his loans and he let that man have you in that room to squeeze a little extra time out. Family doesn't do that to you."

She looked ready to argue but you cut her off. "What I'm saying is that you can't rely on others to take care of you. I know you're young, but you have to be able to take care of yourself… especially if you plan on leaving."

You saw the tick in Claire's jaw as she clenched her teeth and stared at you for a moment. "Oh, what do you know?" she scoffed.

"You wanna know how my family died?" you asked abruptly.

She balked at the sudden change of subject. "I'm guessing you didn't kill them?" she drawled.

"Not quite. A shifter killed them and pretended to be me to do it. I was seventeen years old at the time and suddenly had no family. Sam and Dean actually saved me and told me all about monsters and crap before dropping me off at my Nana's. They skipped town and she called the cops on me so I left. I was out there alone for seven years."

Claire had remained quiet throughout the length of your story so far. Taking that as a good sign, you continued, "I had no one but myself to rely on. No one took care of me, no one watched out for me. I had to save myself." You met her eyes, pleading for her to understand what you were saying.

You swallowed and continued. "And God, I was so mad at Sam and Dean… so mad. Obviously, they weren't the ones to kill my family but it felt like they had shattered my entire reality and left me to pick up the pieces by myself."

You eyed her again, but her face was blank. No anger. No judgement. She seemed to be just listening. "You know, in hindsight, I think those years on my own were good for me. I learned how to hunt and channeled all my anger into that and I took care of myself. Then I happened upon Sam and Dean and yeah I was still angry, but we worked past that. Sam, Dean and Cas, they're my family now and even though I know I'd be fine on my own, I don't have to be because I have them."

There was a long moment of silence in which you both thought about your words. Claire started to hesitantly speak. "I… I'm sorry about your family," she said quietly.

You waved her off. "Thanks, but it's fine… I mean, I'm still moving past it but that's not the point. I just… if you are going to leave, I wanted to know that you could take of yourself… and if you ever feel like you can't, Cas and the Winchesters and I will be here."

Another long moment of silence filled the room. "Also," you added, "I think Cas would really appreciate it if you talked to him before you left."

She nodded her head, seemingly unable to find any words. You backed out of the room and closed the door, leaving her to mull things over. When you turned around, you came face to face with a pair of startlingly blue eyes.

"Jayden?" Cas asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to make sure she was okay," you said. "I know Randy wasn't a good guy, but he was family to her. We just talked about some things but I think you should speak with her."

Cas looked surprised but nodded his head. His fingers brushed against yours as he walked past you to the door before clutching the handle. You turned to face him and shot him a small smile. "Good luck," you said. "She's still pretty angry."

Cas let out a smile of his own. "Reminds me of another blonde I used to know." His eyes glittered as your smile widened.

"And surprisingly enough, she actually grew to quite like you."

Cas' eyes turned serious for a moment and you furrowed your brow. "It surprised me too," he whispered before opening Claire's door and disappearing.

 **XXXX**

You and Cas walked in the front door of the bunker. Claire had left the hotel and neither you nor Cas had tried to stop her. She was still infuriated with the angel but had given you a small nod before stalking away. You hoped that she would think about what you had said.

Bad news seemed to come in waves because the next thing you knew, Cas was hearing whispers on angel radio. Crowley had gone to retrieve the first blade for the Winchesters. _What the hell had happened while you were gone? What was Metatron telling the brothers?_

Now, Sam was sitting at the table in the war room and looked up as you and Cas walked in. The angel wasted no time in searching for answers. "The First Blade is back in play and Crowley is the one getting it? I don't mean to be an alarmist, but you—"

Dean walked in from the library holding a beer bottle. "Yeah well, you know us. When we screw ourselves we like to go whole hog."

There was a moment of silence in which nobody said anything. Cas gave Dean a skeptical look as you walked down the stairs.

"I don't have a choice, 'kay?" Dean said, sounding slightly annoyed. "I don't do this, I'm down the rabbit hole. Hear evil, see evil, do evil. The trifecta."

"Cas, look," Sam cut in. "Let us worry about this. You've got enough on your plate with Claire."

"Claire's gone," you said.

Sam glanced at you and furrowed his brow. "Gone where?"

Cas shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, I—I should have stopped her. I am certain that she is destined for more trouble and disappointment. She is so… so full of rage."

"Listen, man," Dean started, thoughts of Crowley and the Blade forgotten for a moment. "If I could make it better, I would."

"I actually had an idea about that," Cas said. "I was hoping you might reach out to her."

You cringed inwardly at Cas' words. On the drive here, you had tried to convince him that this wasn't a good idea. Claire was _so_ angry. You knew she wouldn't want to talk to Dean. Nothing he could say would make up for what happened.

"Me?" the older Winchester asked dubiously.

"Yes"

Dean shook his head. "Seriously, I'm probably the last person she would wanna hear from."

"I thought there would be a connection," Cas said. "One extremely messed up human to another; you could explain why you murdered her only friend."

Dean scoffed. "Oh, well, yeah, when you put it like that," he said sarcastically.

"All I know is she won't talk to me. I thought if she understood the kind of man Randy was and the danger she was in…"

There was a moment of silence in which you and Sam shared a look before Dean spoke. "What the hell, why not?" he said. He sounded exasperated but willing. "Long shots seem to be the theme around here. I'm gonna go make a sandwich."

Your eyes followed Dean as he walked into the kitchen. "I'll, uh—I'll text you her number," Cas called after him, pulling out his cellphone.

You and Cas turned to Sam at the same time. "He seems calm," you whispered. "Considering the effects of the Mark. Metatron in proximity."

"Too calm," Sam replied, nodding his head and meeting your eyes. "I think he's worried about what'll happen if he pops the cork."

 **XXXX**

You sat in your room, reading a book and trying to distract yourself from your thoughts. Your door was propped open but the bunker was quiet. You were itching to do something, but there was nothing you could do. Claire was gone who knew where and things with Metatron were on pause until Crowley returned with the Blade.

You sighed and rolled over, simultaneously turning the page.

A sudden banging jarred your senses. You froze with your book clutched in your hand as the banging stopped. _Was that yelling you heard?_ Another moment of silence passed and then a loud crash rang through the bunker, shaking your bedroom door in its frame.

 _This can't be good._

You took off in the direction of the dungeon, your socks slipping slightly on the cold cement floors of the bunker. Only a few seconds had passed since the crash when you arrived at the dungeon, holding on to the doorframe as you slid around the corner.

The door was gone. It was shattered and littered the floor in slivers. You looked up at the four men in the bunker and paused. Metatron looked worse for wear and was bleeding from his nose and mouth. Cas was frantically untying him as Sam held Dean back. "What the hell is going on?" you asked the room at large.

Cas looked to you but resumed pulling at Metatron's restraints. "I have to take him back," he said, finally freeing the other angel.

"Cas, this won't happen again," Sam pleaded, ignoring you.

"I gave my word. I have fences to mend in heaven, and as it is, I have a lot to explain."

Metatron seemed deranged as he yelled, "If you ever ask me for help again, I will choose death. You realize it's going to get worse, Dean. You're gonna get worse!"

Blood and spittle flew from his mouth as you stepped aside, allowing Cas to drag him from the room. You looked dubiously at Sam but he only shook his head in response, looking disappointed.

The younger Winchester dragged his brother back to the war room while you followed behind. He sat him in a chair as you went to the kitchen with intentions to make a very large pot of tea for everyone. You could hear the Winchesters arguing in low tones when suddenly Dean's phone rang out through the bunker.

You stood in the doorway and watched Dean as he talked on the phone. He seemed surprised and hung up rather quickly.

"Who was that?" you asked.

"Claire," he said, still shocked as he looked at you. "She wants to meet with me… and she wants to talk to you. "

 **XXXX**

You sat shotgun in the impala singing along to Metallica as Dean cruised down the highway. He glanced at you out of the corner of his eye just like he had been doing every couple minutes for the past hour. Letting out a sigh you said, "If you want me to stop singing, you just have to ask."

He turned his head completely to look at you before glancing at the road again. You couldn't read his eyes very well, but he seemed down. "No," he started. "It's not that… although you are a terrible singer."

A cheeky smile spread across his face and you punched him on the arm. "Oh, shut up," you laughed.

Dean shook his head, the smile dissolving before your eyes. He blinked a couple times before saying, "I want to apologize to you, Jayden… for about what happened at Randy's. When Sam started shaking me and I saw you there lying in all that blood… I wasn't even sure if you were alive. I just… I _need_ to get rid of this Mark."

You reached over and squeezed Dean's hand on the steering wheel. "Dean, you don't have to apologize for anything. It was an honest accident. I know what the Mark does to you… but even then, I still trust you."

"Well, you shouldn't," he said sternly.

You used your bossiest tone in combination with what you liked to think of as your mom voice as you said, "Winchester, you are not gonna feel bad about yourself for something this stupid. So you knocked me out, like I've never been knocked out before! I'm a big girl and I can handle more than you think. It's my decision as to whether I forgive you and besides, if you actually tried to hurt me, I'd kick her ass from here to Milwaukee before you could say apple pie. Understood?"

Dean glanced at you again with eyebrows raised. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Now, where the hell are we?"

"We're here," Dean said, putting the car in park. You glanced out the window at a dingy trailer.

"This is where she wanted to meet us?" you asked, eyebrows raised.

"Apparently."

You looked around again at the seemingly innocuous place. Dean's door opened with a moan and you couldn't be sure but you thought you saw a flutter in the trailer's window. It seemed too quiet, too still. A sudden chill ran down your spine and you grabbed Dean's arm. "I… don't have a good feeling about this," you said.

Dean scoffed. "Come on, she called and wanted to talk. Besides, she's just a kid, I mean, how much trouble can she get into in a day?"

The older Winchester stepped out of the vehicle, leaving you behind to mumble out, "fine" as you opened your own door. Dean pointed toward a bench facing the water and you nodded your head reluctantly before going to sit on it. You had only gone a couple steps when Claire opened the door of the trailer.

Dean gave you a pointed look as if to say, see, everything's fine but you rolled your eyes at him. "Claire," you called out. "You wanted to talk?"

She nodded her head and paused before saying, "Can I… can I talk to you alone for a minute first?" She glanced around and let out a deep breath as you made your way to the trailer. Dean took a seat on the bench and looked out at the water.

The camper door slammed shut behind you and Claire instantly started pacing. You leaned a hip against the small kitchenette counter and watched her. "Is everything okay?" you asked.

"I don't know," she said, running a hand through her hair. "I just… why are you friends with Dean? You told me you used to hate him and I mean, after what happened… after he murdered all those people, you still like him?"

"That wasn't Dean," you said matter-of-factly.

"We all saw the aftermath. It was Dean." She looked at you dubiously.

"No, I mean… I don't know if you know anything about the Mark of Cain but it's a mark Dean got from Cain and when it's used in tandem with the First Blade he can kill anything. I know it sounds unbelievable, but it messes with his head, makes him aggressive and violent, turns him into a bloodthirsty monster… and he can't do anything about it. He's… he's not the same guy who rescued me from my house so many years ago but he's still my friend and I'd do anything to help him."

Claire's face paled at your words and she froze. Her eyes were wide as she stared at you mutely.

You stood up straight and took a step towards her, slightly frightened. "Claire?" you asked. "Is everything okay?"

Her gaze flicked behind you, out the window, to Dean. You turned to look as she rushed forward out the camper door, screaming desperately.

Your own eyes widened in horror when you saw what she was looking at. Dean sat on the bench unsuspecting while a woman crouched behind him with a bat and a man snuck up on him with an axe. He turned his head to Claire and furrowed his brow.

His questioning gaze landed on you. "Behind you!" you yelled.

At your cry, Dean glanced around clearly still confused. The woman swung the baseball bat but Dean finally seemed to register what was happening and had just enough time to duck. He grabbed the bat as the woman tried to hit him again and used it to place her in a choke hold.

Her male companion wielding the axe ran towards them as you stumbled from the camper. Dean shoved the woman to the ground and turned to face the man. You came to stand beside Claire and watched in frightened trepidation as the struggle ensued. The man dropped the axe as Dean shoved him to the ground like the woman.

Both attackers lay on the ground defenseless. The axe was discarded in the grass but not forgotten. You had taken a step towards it but Dean had already scooped it up. He hefted the weapon in the air and stood over the couple.

His eyes glinted in the waning sunlight and a bolt of fear ran through your chest. They were wild and vicious, consumed by bloodlust and all too similar to how they looked the night he killed Randy and the others. Both you and Claire screamed at the exact same time. "No!"

Dread overcame you when Dean didn't even look up. He hefted the axe ever so slightly higher and brought it crashing down on… the bench. Wood splintered in all directions as Dean looked up at you. Relief crashed over as you met his gaze. Dean's eyes were bright and green, angry still but without the ferocity.

Claire was silent as she turned and ran, leaving you and Dean to stare at each other, your chests heaving with laboured breaths.

 **XXXX**

Cas had shown up fifteen minutes after Claire had left. You and Dean were sitting in the impala, the windows down and Bon Jovi playing quietly on the radio. You kept stealing glances at Dean but neither of you said anything… you weren't sure what to say.

"Dean? Jayden?" Cas' voice broke the silence. "What happened? Where's Claire? I can hear her praying to me." His brow furrowed as he took in your expressions.

"She, uh well, she… she found some friends who tried to kill Dean." Cas' eyes widened in alarm and he opened his mouth to speak, but you continued. "We're fine, everyone's fine. Her friends scrammed and Claire took off in the opposite direction. We've just been… here," you said, glancing around the interior of the impala.

Cas' fists clenched and he remained quiet for a long time, thinking things over. Just when you thought he wouldn't say anything, he said, "I'm going to find her. I think you should come, Jayden."

"I—what? Why me?" you spluttered, looking to the older Winchester.

"She just tried to have me killed," he said. "I don't think she wants to chat with me."

"Besides," Cas added, "you relate to her and her life experiences. She sees you as the voice of reason and I think she's taken a liking to you."

You looked between the two men but neither said anything more and instead, stared at you expectantly. "Ugh, fine!' you grumbled, opening the impala door. "I'll go talk to the psychotic teenager since we have such similar life experiences… _even though I never tried to murder anybody_ ," you continued sarcastically. Your eyes landed on Cas' car and you groaned. "And yay, we get to ride in my Nana's pastor's car. Do you have rosaries and mints in your glove compartment too?"

You could hear Dean chuckle behind you and were unexpectedly comforted. The fifteen minutes of silence had caused you to worry about the older Winchester without realization. You still weren't sure what was going on inside his head but he still had the capacity to laugh and for that, you were inexplicably glad.

You looked to Cas and rolled your eyes at his offended expression. "Come on angel brain," you said, grabbing his arm. "Forget what I said; let's go find your teenage daughter."

 **XXXX**

It hadn't taken long for you and Cas to find Claire. Your heart went out to her when you saw her wild blonde hair walking down the road alone. Cas quickly rolled down his window and coasted beside her.

"Claire," he said.

She looked up, slightly startled. She glanced at you for a moment and you recognized the shame in her eyes. Looking back at Cas, she said, "How the hell did you find me?"

"Angels are able to find those who pray to them," he answered matter-of-factly.

"Pray?" she scoffed, becoming defensive. "Oh believe me; I gave up praying a long time ago."

"Well, it doesn't have to be a formal prayer. I could pick up on a—a longing… perhaps you wanted to tell me something?" Cas struggled to focus on the conversation and keep the car going straight.

"No," she said. She sounded resolute but she stopped walking. "I don't know, maybe," she suddenly said instead.

Cas turned off the car engine and climbed out. You followed suit and leaned your arms on the roof, watching the pair intently from the other side of the car. "I guess I just…" she started, looking at the ground. Her eyes looked up to meet Cas' after glancing at you again. "I wanted to tell you that I—I thought about what you said… what both of you said. I'm gonna try doing things a little bit different. Let go of the little bit of monster in me."

You nodded your head once at her as Cas responded, "Well, I could try to help you with that."

She shook her head, blonde hair swinging gently in the breeze. "I gotta go it alone. But I could—maybe call sometime?"

Her hesitant glance met yours and you smiled warmly. You were quickly running out of advice for the girl and said the first thing that sprang to mind. "Of course. We'll always be right here. Now go. Make the world your bitch. We're here if you need us."

She let out a short and unexpected tinkle of a laugh. Cas stared at you but you just shrugged your shoulders sheepishly.

Her laugh was short but a ghost of a smile remained on her face. "Now get out of here, would you?" she said. "No one's gonna pick me up with that butt-ugly car sitting there." You shot Cas an I told you so look and he shook his head in exasperation.

He turned back to Claire and soft;y said, "I'll see you."

She nodded her head and continued down the highway while the two of you climbed back into the car. Cas didn't start the engine right away and you looked to him, and eyebrow raised in questioning.

"Make the world your bitch?" His eyes glinted mischievously and a wry smile graced his lips.

"Shut up," you said, punching him on the arm. "You put so much pressure on me about being 'the voice of reason' and having shared experiences, I panicked." Your face burned when Cas suddenly grabbed the hand you had reached out to punch him with.

He yanked you closer and you nearly fell into his lap with a startled protest. His eyes locked on yours and his gaze took your breath away. Those blue sapphires sparkled at you with amusement and something else. Something that felt reckless and dangerous and caused you to reach for him. "I love it when you blush," he whispered before kissing you.

"I knew it!"

You broke apart at Claire's yell. She was walking backwards, staring at the two of you and smiling smugly. Your face nearly burst into flame and caused Cas to pause when he glanced at you. You waved sheepishly at Claire and watched as she turned back around and continued down the highway, a new spring in her step.

"Oh God!" you groaned, covering your eyes with your hands in embarrassment.

Cas's finger was suddenly under your chin, urging him to look at you. You met his eyes and he smiled impishly. _For such a naïve and innocent angel, he really was enjoying this._

"There it is again," he said softly, leaning forward and placing a peck on your lips before finally starting the car.


End file.
